
-Class_EK-S31l 
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COPntlCHT DEF()8I£ 



THE STUDENTS' SERIES 

OF 

Edited by W. J. ROLFE, AM. 

I. SCOTT'S LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The text is correctly printed for the first timp in fifty years. 
The wc/'^.y (eighty-eight pages) include Scott's and Lockhart's, 
and are fiiller than in any other edition, English or American. 
The illustrations are mainly of the scenery of the poem, from 
sketches made on the spot. 

n. TENNYSON'S THE PRINCESS. 

The text is more accurately printed than in any other edition. 
The notes (fifty pages) give the history of the poem, all the 
readings of the earlier editions, selected comments by the best 
English and American critics, full explanation of all the allu- 
sions, &c. The illustrations are from Osgood's holiday edition. 

III. SELECT POEMS OF TENNYSON, 

including Recollections of the Arabian Nights, The Poet, The 
Lady of Shalott, The Miller's Daughter, Ginone, The Lotus- 
Eater.s, The Palace of Art, A Dream of Fair Women, Morte 
d' Arthur, The Talking Oak, Ulysses, Locksley Hall, The Two 
Voices, St. Agnes' Eve, Sir Galahad, The Brook, Ode on the 
Death of the Duke of Wellington. The text is from the latest 
English edition (1884), whicli has some new readings. The 
tiotes (fifty pages) include a careful collation of the early editions, 
with explanatory and critical comments, original and selected. 
The illustrations are of high character. 

IV. SCOTT'S MARMION. 

With copious and carefully prepared notes in elucidation, and 
many fine illustrations. 

IH^^All these books are equally suited to the use of the 
student in school or college, and that of the general reader. 
They should have a place in every library, public or private. 
75 cents each. To teachers, for introduction, 45 cents. 

Sent, post-paid, on receipt of price, by the Publishers, 

TICKNOR AMD COMPANY, Boston. 




And yet, though all was carved so fair, 
And priest for Marmion breathed the prayer, 
The last Lord Marmion lay not there." 






M A R M I O N 



BY 



SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. 
Edited with Notes 

BY 

WILLIAM J. ROLFE, A.M. 

FORMERLY HEAD MASTER OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 




7 



2or'(^^ 



BOSTON 
TICKNOR AND COMPANY 

1885 



Copyright, 1884 and 1885, 
By James R. Osgood and Company. 



All rights reserved. 



li 



-nn-ji, 



SIniijcvsttg ^rcss : 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



P REFACE. 



This edition of Marviioji has been prepared on the same plan as 
that of The Lady of the Lake which I made two years ago ; and, as in 
that, the illustrations are selected from the publishers' elegant holiday 
edition of the poem. 

In the preface to The Lady of the Lake I said that the poem had not 
been printed correctly for more than fifty years. Marmioii, so far as I 
can learn, has tiever been printed correctly. Scott appears to have 
overlooked sundry bad misprints in the first edition (which I have com- 
pared minutely with the fourth and all the more recent editions, English 
and American, that I could get hold of) ; and these errors of the type 
have been perpetuated until now. Lockhart professes to have revised 
the te.xt carefully, with the aid of the author's interleaved copy of the 
edition of 1830 ; and we must give him credit for restoring one line 
(v. 947) accidentally omitted in' the early editions, and for incorporating 
one or two trifling changes (as Badeiwch-man for LLighlandnuui in vi. 
795) made by Scott in 1S30; but he has not corrected a single one of 
the old misprints, while he has overlooked a number of new ones due 
to his own printers. On the whole, he has marred the text far more 
than he has mended it. 

As a sample of the corruptions that date from the first publication of 
the poem, see the opening of Canto II., where the printer put a period 
in place of the comma Scott undoubtedly meant to have at the end of 
the 5th line. He did not detect the error, and, so far as I am aware, it 
has been repeated in every edition except this of mine. As the reader 
will see, it alters the construction, and makes nonsense of the pa.ssage. 
Again, in ii. 617, the first edition has a period instead of a comma 
at the end of the line, spoiling the grammar and the sense ; and the 
period (or the colon, which is equally bad) has been retained from 
that day to this. 

Of corruptions that appear (so far, at least, as my collation of the 
texts enables me to decide) for the first time in Lockhart's edition, I 
may mention ii. 464, where Scott wrote and printed " They knew not 
how, and knew not where," while I.ockhart reads ''nor knew not 
where." Scott is free in his use of archaic words and constructions, 
but I recall no instance in which he has indulged in this old " double 



iv PREFACE. 

negative." Again, in v. 212, Scott's " For royal zvere his garb and 
mien '^ is turned by Lockhart, or his printers, into " For royal 7vas'^ 
etc. In iv. 597, Scott has " peace and wealth . . . has blessed ; " but, 
as any schoolboy could explain, that is not a parallel case. 

The archaisms to which I have just referred have proved, as in The 
Lady of the Lake, a stumbling-block to editors or their proof-readers. 
I have seen an edition of Shakespeare in which every instance of the 
obsolete vail {== lower, let fall ) is " corrected " to veil, the difference 
being assumed to be one of spelling merely ; and in Mai'inioit, iii. 234, 
where the early editions all have vail, the recent ones all have veil. In 
vi. 608, where Scott uses the word again (if we may trust the early 
editions) Lockhart prints ^vails. Here a question may possibly be 
raised as to the true reading; but in iii. 194 I have no doubt that 
Scott's word was sleights, as in all the early editions, and not slights, as 
in Lockhart's and all the later ones. Lockhart is also responsible, 
I believe, for the bad corruption of ^' For me," etc. for ^^ From me," 
etc. in iii. ind. 228. 

In iii, ind. 28, the first edition has " Some transient fit of loftier 
rhyme;" but every other edition that I have seen has " /^y^j/ rhyme." 
We may be sure that Scdtt wrote the former, and that he would never 
have altered it to the latter. 

For further examples of the corruptions in former texts, as well as 
for further comments on those cited here, I must refer the reader to 
my Notes. 

I may add that Lockhart did not collate the early editions with suffi- 
cient care while comparing the printed text with the original MS. ; 
V f or in several instances (see, for example, on iv. 635, 647, etc.), as in 
The Lady of the Lake, he gives readings as found only in the MS. 
which really occur in the first edition. 

I have given most of Scott's own notes in full, and also those of 
Lockhart. A few have been slightly abridged, or partially rewritten. 
All the other notes are original, for I have met with no annotated 
edition of the poem except Scott's and Lockhart's. As I said in the 
preface to The Lady of the Lake, there are of course many notes that 
many readers will not need, but I think there are none that may not 
be of service, or at least of interest, to some reader ; and I hope 
that no one will turn to them for help without finding it. 

If, as is not unlikely, I have overlooked errors of my own while 
correcting those of others, I shall be grateful to any reader who will 
favor me with a memorandum of such as he may detect. 

Cambridge, April 6, 1885. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Canto First. Introduction 9 

" " The Castle 20 

Canto Second. Introduction 41 

" " The Convent ..,.,... 50 

Canto Third. Introduction 74 

" " The Hostel, or Inn 82 

Canto Fourth. Introduction 105 

'' " The Camp 112 

Canto Fifth. Introduction 137 

" " The Court 144 

Canto Sixth. Introduction 179 

The Battle 187 

L'Envoy 226 

Notes 229 



MARMION: 

A TALE OF FLODDEN FIELD. 



Alas ! that Scottish maid should sing 

The combat where her lover fell ! 
That Scottish Bard should wake the string, 

The triumph of our foes to tell ! 

Leyden's Ode on Visiting Flodden. 




THE TWEED. 




M A R M I O N. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 



To WILLIAM STEWART ROSE, ESQ. 



Ashesticl, Ettrick Forest. 

November's sky is chill and drear, 
November's leaf is red and sear : 
Late, gazing down the steepy linn 
That hems our litde garden in, 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 

Low in its dark and narrow glen, 
You scarce the rivulet might ken, 
So thick the tangled greenwood grew, 
So feeble trilled the streamlet through ; 
Now, murmuring hoarse, and frequent seen 
Through bush and brier, no longer green, 
An angry brook, it sweeps the glade, 
Brawls over rock and wild cascade, 
And, foaming brown with double speed, 
Hurries its waters to the Tweed. 



No longer autumn's glowing red 
Upon our Forest hills is shed ; 
No more, beneath the evening beam, 
Fair Tweed reflects their purple gleam. 
Away hath passed the heather-bell 
That bloomed so rich on Needpath-fell ; 20 

Sallow his brow, and russet bare 
Are now the sister-heights of Yair. 
The sheep, before the pinching heaven. 
To sheltered dale and down are driven, 
Where yet some faded herbage pines. 
And yet a watery sunbeam shines ; 
In meek despondency they eye 
The withered sward and wintry sky. 
And far beneath their summer hill 
Stray sadly by Glenkinnon's rill. 30 

The shepherd shifts his mantle's fold. 
And wraps him closer from the cold : 
His dogs no merry circles wheel, 
But shivering follow at his heel ; 
A cowering glance they often cast, 
As deeper moans the gathering blast. 



/A'TKOnrClVOX to CAXVO first. II 

My imps, though hardy, bold, and wild, 
As best befits the mountain child, 
Feel the sad influence of the hour. 
And wail the daisy's vanished flower, 40 

Their summer gambols tell, and mourn. 
And anxious ask, — Will sj^ring return, 
iVnd birds and lambs again be gay. 
And blossoms clothe the hawthorn spray? 

Yes, prattlers, yes. The daisy's flower 
Again shall i)aint your summer bower ; 
Again the hawthorn shall supply 
The garlands you delight to tie ; 
The lambs upon the lea shall bound. 
The wild birds carol to the round ; 50 

And while you frolic light as they. 
Too short shall seem the summer day. 

To mute and to material things 
New life revolving sunmier brings ; 
The genial call dead Nature hears, 
And in her glory reap})ears. 
But oh ! my country's wintry state 
What second spring shall renovate ? 
\Miat powerful call shall bid arise 
The buried warlike and the wise, 60 

The mind that thought for Britain's weal, 
The hand that grasped the victor steel ? 
The vernal sun new life bestows 
Even on the meanest flower that blows ; 
But vainly, vainly may he shine 
Where Glory \veeps o'er Nei^son's shrine, 
And vainly pierce the solemn gloom 
That shrouds, O Put, thv hallowed tomb ! 



12 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. . 

Deep graved in every British heart, 
Oh, never let those names depart ! 70 

Say to your sons, — Lo, here his grave 
Who victor died on Gadite wave ! 
To him, as to the burning levin, 
Short, bright, resistless course was given ; 
Where'er his country's foes were found. 
Was heard the fated thunder's sound. 
Till burst the bolt on yonder shore, 
Rolled, blazed, destroyed, — and was no more. 

Nor mourn ye less his perished worth 
Who bade the conqueror go forth, 80 

And launched that thunderbolt of war 
On Egypt, Hafnia, Trafalgar ; • 
Who, born to guide such high emprise. 
For Britain's weal was early wise ; 
Alas ! to whom the Almighty gave, 
For Britain's sins, an early grave ! 
His worth who, in his mightiest hour, 
A bauble held the pride of power. 
Spurned at the sordid lust of pelf. 

And served his Albion for herself; 90 

Who, when the frantic crowd amain 
Strained at subjection's bursting rein, 
O'er their wild mood full conquest gained. 
The pride, he would not crush, restrained. 
Showed their fierce zeal a worthier cause. 
And brought the freeman's arm to aid the freeman's laws. 

Hadst thou but lived, though stripped of power, 
A watchman on the lonely tower. 
Thy thrilling trump had roused the land. 
When fraud or danger were at hand ; loo 



INTRODUCTIOA' TO CAN'IO FIRST. ^3 

By thee, as by the beacon-light, 

Our pilots had kept course aright ; 

As some proud column, though alone, 

Thy strength had propped the tottering throne. 

Now is the stately column broke, 

The beacon-light is ciuenched in smoke. 

The trumpet's silver sound is still, 

The warder silent on the hill ! 

Oh, think, how to his latest day, 
When Death, just hovering, claimed his prey. 
With Palinure's unaltered mood, 
Firm at his dangerous post he stood. 
Each call for needful rest repelled, 
With dying hand the rudder held. 
Till, in his fall, with fateful sway, 
The steerage of the realm gave way ! 
Then, while on Britain's thousand plains 
One unpolluted church remains. 
Whose peaceful bells ne'er sent around ^ 
The bloody tocsin's maddening sound, ■ ^ " 

But still, upon the hallowed day, 
Convoke the swains to praise and pray ; 
While faith and civil peace are dear, 
Grace this cold marble with a tear, 
He who preserved them, Prn^ lies here. 

Nor yet suppress the generous sigh 
Because his rival slumbers nigh. 
Nor be thy requiescat dumb 
Lest it be said o'er Fox's tomb ; 
For talents mourn, untimely lost, 
When best employed and wanted most ; 
Mourn genius high, and lore profound, 
And wit that loved to play, not wound ; 



14 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 

And all the reasoning powers divine, 

To penetrate, resolve, combine ; 

And feelings keen, and fancy's glow. 

They sleep with him who sleeps below : 

And, if thou mourn'st they could not save 

From error him who owns this grave, 

Be every harsher thought suppressed, 140 

And sacred be the last long rest. 

Here, where the end of earthly things 

Lays heroes, patriots, bards, and kings ; 

Where stiff the hand, and still the tongue, 

Of those who fought, and spoke, and sung ; 

Here, where the fretted aisles prolong 

The distant notes of holy song, 

As if some angel spoke again, 

' All peace on earth, good-will to men ; ' 

If ever from an English heart, 150 

Oh, here let prejudice depart, 

And, partial feeling cast aside, 

Record that Fox a Briton died ! 

When Europe crouched to France's yoke, 

And Austria bent, and Prussia broke. 

And the firm Russian's purpose brave 

Was bartered by a timorous slave, 

Even then dishonor's peace he spurned, 

The sullied olive-branch returned, 

Stood for his country's glory fast, r6o 

And nailed her colors to the mast ! 

Heaven, to reward his firmness, gave 

A portion in this honored grave. 

And ne'er held marble in its trust 

Of two such wondrous men the dust. 

With more than mortal powers endowed, 
How high they soared above the crowd ! 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 15 

Theirs was no common party race, 

Jostling by dark intrigue for place ; 

Like fabled Gods, their mighty war .70 

Shook realms and nations in its jar ; 

Beneath each banner proud to stand, 

Looked up the noblest of the land, 

Till through the British world were known 

The names of Pirr and Fox alone. 

Spells of such force no wizard grave 

E'er framed in dark Thessalian cave. 

Though his could drain the ocean dry, 

And force the planets from the sky. 

These spells are spent, and, spent with these, .So 

The wine of life is on the lees, 

Genius and taste and talent gone, 

Forever tombed beneath the stone, 

Where — taming thought to human pride ! — 

The mighty chiefs sleep side by side. 

Drop upon Fox's grave the tear, 

'T will trickle to his rival's bier ; 

O'er PiTi''s the mournful requiem sound. 

And Fox's shall the notes rebound. 

The solemn echo seems to cry, — kp 

' Here let their discord with them die. 

Speak not for those a separate doom 

Whom Fate made brothers in the tomb ; 

But search the land, of living men, 

Where wilt thou find their like again ? ' 

Rest, ardent spirits, till the cries 
Of dying nature bid you rise ! 
Not even your Britain's groans can pierce 
The leaden silence of your hearse ; 
Then, oh, how impotent and vain 200 

This grateful tributary strain ! 



1 6 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 

Though not unmarked from northern cHme, 

Ye heard the Border Minstrel's rhyme : 

His Gothic harp has o'er you rung ; 

The Bard you deigned to praise, your deathless names has sung. 

Stay yet, illusion, stay a while. 
My wildered fancy still beguile ! 
From this high theme how can I part, 
Ere half unloaded is my heart ! 

For all the tears e'er sorrow drew, 210 

And all the raptures fancy knew. 
And all the keener rush of blood 
That throbs through bard in bardlike mood. 
Were here a tribute mean and low, 
Though all their mingled streams could flow — 
Woe, wonder, and sensation high. 
In one spring-tide of ecstasy ! — 
It will not be — it may not last — 
The vision of enchantment 's past : 

Like frostwork in the morning ray, 220 

The fancy fabric melts away ; 
Each Gothic arch, memorial-stone, 
And long, dim, lofty aisle, are gone ; 
x\nd, lingering last, deception dear, 
The choir's high sounds die on my ear. 
Now slow return the lonely down. 
The silent pastures bleak and brown, 
The farm begirt with copsewood wild. 
The gambols of each frolic child, 

Mixing their shrill cries with the tone 230 

Of Tweed's dark waters rushing on. 

Prompt on unequal tasks to run, 
Thus Nature disciplines her son : 



INTRO DUCTIOiV TO CAXTO FIRST. i? 

Meeter, she says, for me to stray, 

And waste the solitary day 

In plucking from yon fen tlie reed. 

And watch it floating down the Tweed, 

Or idly list the shrilling lay 

With which the milkmaid cheers her way. 

Marking its cadence rise and fail, 240 

As from the field, beneath her pail, 

She trips it down the uneven dale ; 

Meeter for me, by yonder cairn, 

The ancient shepherd's tale to learn. 

Though oft he stop in rustic fear, 

Lest his okl legends tire the ear 

Of one who, in his simple mind, 

May boast of book-learned taste refined. 



But thou, my friend, canst fitly tell — 
For few have read romance so well — 250 

How still the legendary lay 
O'er poet's bosom holds its sway ; 
How on the ancient minstrel strain 
Time lays his palsied hand in vain ; 
And how our hearts at doughty deeds, 
By warriors wrought in steely weeds. 
Still throb for fear and pity's sake ; 
As when the Champion of the Lake 
Enters Morgana's fated house. 

Or in the Chapel Perilous, 260 

Despising spells and demons' force, 
Holds converse with the unburied corse ; 
Or when. Dame Ganore's grace to move — 
Alas, that lawless was their love 1 — 
He sought proud Tarciuin in his den. 
And freed full sixty knights ; or when, 



1 8 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 

A sinful man and unconfessed, 

He took the Sangreal's holy quest, 

And slumbering saw the vision high 

He might not view with waking eye. 27c 

The mightiest chiefs of British song 
Scorned not such legends to prolong. 
They gleam through Spenser's elfin dream, 
And mix in Milton's heavenly theme ; 
And Dryden, in immortal strain, 
Had raised the Table Round again, 
But that a ribald king and court 
Bade him toil on, to make them sport ; 
Demanded for their niggard pay. 

Fit for their souls, a looser lay, 280 

Licentious satire, song, and play ; 
The world defrauded of the high design, 
Profaned the God-given strength, and marred the lofty line. 

Warmed by such names, well may we then. 
Though dwindled sons of little men, 
Essay to break a feeble lance 
In the fair fields of old romance ; 
Or seek the moated castle's cell, 
Where long through tahsman and spell. 
While tyrants ruled and damsels wept, 290 

Thy Genius, Chivalry, hath slept. 
There sound the harpings of the North, 
Till he awake and sally forth. 
On venturous quest to prick again. 
In all his arms, with all his train. 
Shield, lance, and brand, and plume, and scarf. 
Fay, giant, dragon, squire, and dwarf, 
And wizard with his wand of might. 
And errant maid on palfrey white. 



INTRODUCTJOX TO CANTO FIRST. 19 

Around the Genius weave their spells, 300 

Pure Love, who scarce his passion tells ; 

Mystery, half veiled and half revealed ; 

And Honor, with his spotless shield ; 

Attention, with fixed eye ; and Fear, 

That loves the tale she shrinks to hear ; 

And gentle Courtesy ; and Faith, 

Unchanged by sufferings, time, or death ; 

And Valor, lion -mettled lord, 

Leaning upon his own good sword. 

Well has thy fair achievement shown 310 

A worthy meed may thus be won : 
Ytene's oaks — beneath whose shade 
Their theme the merry minstrels made, 
Of Ascapart, and Bevis bold. 
And that Red King, who, while of old 
Through Boldrewood the chase he led, 
By his loved huntsman's arrow bled — 
Ytene's oaks have heard again 
Renewed such legendary strain ; 
For thou hast sung, how he of Gaul, 320 

That Amadis so famed in hall. 
For Oriana, foiled in fight 
The Necromancer's felon might ; 
And well in modern verse hast wove 
Partenopex's mystic love : 
Hear, then, attentive to my lay, 
A knightly tale of Albion's elder day. 





CANTO FIRST. 
THE CASTLE. 



Day set on Norham's castled steep, 
And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep, 

And Cheviot's mountains lone ; 
The battled towers, the donjon keep, 
The loophole grates where captives weep. 
The flanking walls that round it sweep. 

In yellow lustre shone. 



CANTO 1. 



THJ-: CASTLE. 21 



The warriors on the turrets high, 
Moving athwart the evening sk)', 

Seemed forms of giant height ; 
Their armor, as it caught the rays, 
Flashed back again the western blaze, 

In lines of dazzling light. 



II. 



Saint George's banner, broad and gay, 
Now faded, as the fading ray 

Less bright, and less, was flung ; 
The evening gale had scarce the power 
To wave it on the donjon tower, 

So heavily it hung. 
The scouts had parted on their search. 

The casde gates were barred ; 
Above the gloomy portal arch, 
Timing his footsteps to a march, 

The warder kept his guard. 
Low humming, as he paced along. 
Some ancient Border gathering song. 



III. 

A distant trampling sound he hears ; 

He looks abroad, and soon appears, ^ 

O'er Horncliff-hill, a plump of spears 

Beneath a pennon gay ; 3° 

A horseman, darting from the crowd 
Like lightning from a summer cloud. 
Spurs on his mettled courser proud, 

Before the dark array. 
Beneath the sable palisade 
That closed the castle barricade, 



22 MARMION. CANTO I. 

His bugle-horn he blew ; 
The warder hasted from the wall. 
And warned the captain in the hall, 

For well the blast he knew ; 4° 

And joyfully that knight did call 
To sewer, squire, and seneschal. 



IV. 

' Now broach ye a pipe of Malvoisie, 

Bring pasties of the doe. 
And quickly make the entrance free, 
And bid my heralds ready be. 
And every minstrel sound his glee. 

And all our trumpets blow ; 
And, from the platform, spare ye not 
To fire a noble salvo-shot ; 50 

Lord Marmion waits below ! ' 
Then to the castle's lower ward 

Sped forty yeomen tall, 
The iron-studded gates unbarred. 
Raised the portcullis' ponderous guard, 
The lofty palisade unsparred. 

And let the drawbridge fall. 



Along the bridge Lord Marmion rode, 
Proudly his red-roan charger trode. 
His helm hung at the saddle bow ; 
Well by his visage you might know 
He was a stalworth knight and keen, 
And had in many a battle been ; 
The scar on his brown cheek revealed 
A token true of Bosworth field ; 



CANTO I. TH^ CASTLE. 23 

His eyebrow dark and eye of fire 

Showed spirit proud and prompt to ire, 

Yet lines of thought upon his cheek 

Did deep design and counsel speak. 

His forehead, by his casque worn bare, 70 

His thick moustache and curly hair. 

Coal-black, and grizzled here and there. 

But more through toil than age. 
His square-turned joints and strength of limb. 
Showed him no carpet knight so trim. 
But in close fight a champion grim, 

In camps a leader sage. 



VI. 

Well was he armed from head to heel. 

In mail and plate of Milan steel ; 

But his strong helm, of mighty cost, 80 

Was all with burnished gold embossed. 

Amid the plumage of the crest 

A falcon hovered on her nest, 

With wings outspread and forward breast ; 

E'en such a falcon, on his shield. 

Soared sable in an azure field : 

The golden legend bore aright, 

' Who checks at me, to death is dight.' 

Blue was the charger's broidered rein ; 

Blue ribbons decked his arching mane ; 90 

The knightly housing's ample fold 

Was velvet blue and trapped with gold. 



VII. 



Behind him rode two gallant squires, 
Of noble name and knightly sires : 



24 MARMION. CANTO I. 

They burned the gilded spurs to claim, 

For well could each a war-horse tame, 

Could draw the bow, the sword could sway. 

And lightly bear the ring away ; 

Nor less with courteous precepts stored, 

Could dance in hall, and carve at board, loo 

And frame love-ditties passing rare. 

And sing them to a lady fair. 



VIII. 

Four men-at-arms came at their backs. 
With halbert, bill, and battle-axe ; 
They bore Lord Marmion's lance so strong. 
And led his sumpter-mules along, 
And ambling palfrey, when at need 
Him listed ease his battle-steed. 
The last and trustiest of the four 
On high his forky pennon bore ; 
Like swallow's tail in shape and hue, 
Fluttered the streamer glossy blue. 
Where, blazoned sable, as before. 
The towering falcon seemed to soar. 
Last, twenty yeomen, two and two, 
Li hosen black and jerkins blue, 
With falcons broidered on each breast. 
Attended on their lord's behest. 
Each, chosen for an archer good, 
Knew hunting-craft by lake or wood ; 
Each one a six-foot bow could bend. 
And far a cloth-yard shaft could send ; 
Each held a boar-spear tough and strong, 
And at their belts their quivers rung. 
Their dusty palfreys and array 
Showed they had marched a weary way. 



CANTO I. THE CASTLE. 25 



IX. 

'T is meet that I should tell you now, 
How fairly armed, and ordered how, 

The soldiers of the guard. 
With musket, pike, and morion, 130 

To welcome noble Marmion, 

Stood in the castle-yard ; 
Minstrels and trumpeters were there. 
The gunner held his linstock yare. 

For welcome-shot prepared : 
Entered the train, and such a clang 
As then through all his turrets rang 

Old Norham never heard. 



The guards their morrice-pikes advanced, 

The trumpets flourished brave, 
The cannon from the ramparts glanced, 

And thundering welcome gave. 
A blithe salute, in martial sort, 

The minstrels well might sound. 
For, as Lord Marmion crossed the court. 

He scattered angels round. 
* Welcome to Norham, Marmion ! 

Stout heart and open hand ! 
Well dost thou brook thy gallant roan. 

Thou flower of English land ! ' 



Xf.' 

Two pursuivants, whom tabards deck, 
With silver scutcheon round their neck, 



26 



M ARM ION. 




Stood on the steps of stone 
By which you reach the donjon gate, 
And there, with herald pomp and state. 

They hailed Lord Marmion : 
They hailed him Lord of Fontenaye, 
Of Lutterward, and Scrivelbaye, 

Of Tam worth tower and town ; 
And he, their courtesy to requite, 
Gave them a chain of twelve marks' weight, 

All as he lighted down. 
' Now, largesse, largesse. Lord Marmion, 

Knight of the crest of gold ! 
A blazoned shield, in battle won. 

Ne'er guarded heart so bold.' 



THE CASTLE. 27 



XII. 

They marshalled him to the castle-hall, 

Where the guests stood all aside, 
And loudly flourished the trumpet-call, 

And the heralds loudly cried, — 170 

' Room, lordlings, room for Lord Marmion, 

With the crest and helm of gold ! 
Full well we know the trophies won 

In the lists at Cottiswold : 
There, vainly Ralph de \\'ilton strove 

'Gainst Marmion's force to stand ; 
To him he lost his lady-love, 

And to the king his land. 
Ourselves beheld the listed field, 

A sight both sad and fair ; 180 

We saw Lord Marmion pierce his shield, 

And saw his saddle bare ; 
We saw the victor win the crest 

He wears with worthy pride, 
And on the gibbet-tree, reversed, 

His foeman's scutchepn tied. 
Place, nobles, for the Falcon-Knight ! 

Room, room, ye gentles gay, 
For him who conquered in the right, 

Marmion of Fontenave ! ' 



190 



XIII. 

Then stepped, to meet that noble lord, 

Sir Hugh the Heron bold, 
Baron of Twisell and of Ford, 

And Captain of the Hold ; 
He led Lord Marmion to the deas, 

Raised o'er the pavement high. 



28 MARMION. CAN'J 

And placed him in the upper place — 

They feasted full and high : 
The whiles a Northern harper rude 
Chanted a rhyme of deadly feud, 

* How the fierce Thirwalls, and Ridleys all, 
Stout Willimondswick, 
And Hardriding Dick, 
And Hughie of Hawdon, and Will o' the AVall, 
Have set on Sir Albany Featherstonhaugh, 
And taken his life at the Deadman's-shaw.' 
Scantly Lord Marmion's ear could brook 

The harper's barbarous lay. 
Yet much he praised the pains he took, 
And well those pains did pay ; 
For lady's suit and minstrel's strain 
By knight sliould ne'er be heard in vain. 



XIV. 

* Now, good Lord Marmion,' Heron says, 

' Of your fair courtesy, 
I pray you bide some little space 

In this poor tower with me. 
Here may you keep your arms from rust. 

May breathe your war-horse well ; 
Seldom hath passed a week but joust 

Or feat of arms befell. 
The Scots can rein a mettled steed, 

And love to couch a spear ; — 
Saint George ! a stirring life they lead 

That have such neighbors near ! 
Then stay with us a little space, 

Our Northern wars to learn ; 
I pray you for your lady's grace ! ' 

Lord Marmion's brow grew stern. 



THE CASTLE. 29 



XV. 

The captain marked his altered look, 

And gave the squire the sign ; 230 

A mighty wassail-bowl he took, 

And crowned it high with wine. 
' Now pledge me here, Lord Marmion ; 

But first I pray thee fair. 
Where hast thou left that page of thine 
That used to serve thy cup of wine, 

Whose beauty was so rare ? 
When last in Raby-towers we met, 

The boy I closely eyed. 
And often marked his cheeks were wet 240 

With tears he fain would hide. 
His was no rugged horse-boy's hand, 
To burnish shield or sharpen brand, 

Or saddle battle-steed, 
But meeter seemed for lady fair. 
To fan her cheek, or curl her hair. 
Or through embroidery, rich and rare, 

The sknder silk to lead ; 
His skin was fair, his ringlets gold, 

His bosom — when he sighed, 250 

The russet doublet's rugged fold 

Could scarce repel its pride ! 
Say, hast thou given that lovely youth 

To serve in lady's bower? 
Or was the gentle page, in sooth, 

A gentle paramour ? ' 

XVI. 

Lord Marmion ill could brook such jest ; 
He rolled his kindling eye. 



30 MARMION. CANTO I. 

With pain his rising wrath suppressed, 

Yet made a calm reply : 260 

' That boy thou thought so goodly fair, 
He might not brook the Northern air. 
More of his fate if thou wouldst learn, 
I left him sick in Lindisfarne. 
Enough of him. — But, Heron, say, 
Why does thy lovely lady gay 
Disdain to grace the hall to-day? 
Or has that dame, so fair and sage. 
Gone on some pious pilgrimage ? ' — 
He spoke in covert scorn, for fame 270 

Whispered light tales of Heron's dame. 

XVII. 

Unmarked, at least unrecked, the taunt, 

Careless the knight replied : 
' No bird whose feathers gayly flaunt 

Delights in cage to bide ; 
Norham is grim and grated close, 
Hemmed in by battlement and fosse, 

And many a darksome tower. 
And better loves my lady bright 
To sit in liberty and light 280 

In fair Queen Margaret's bower. 
We hold our greyhound in our hand, 

Our falcon on our glove. 
But where shall we find leash or band 

For dame that loves to rove ? 
Let the wild falcon soar her swing. 
She '11 stoop when she has tired her wing.' — 

XVIII. 

' Nay, if with Royal James's bride 
The lovely Lady Heron bide. 



CANTO I. 



THE CASTLE. 



31 



Behold me here a messenger, 

Your tender greetings prompt to bear ; 

For, to the Scottish court addressed, 

I journey at our king's behest, 

And pray you, of your grace, provide 

For me and mine a trusty guide. 

I have not ridden in Scotland since 

James backed the cause of that mock prince, 

Warbeck, that Flemish counterfeit, 

Who on the gibbet paid the cheat. 

Then did I march with Surrey's power, 

What time we razed old Ay ton tower.' — 



300 




XIX. 



' For such-like need, my lord, I trow, 
Norham can find you guides enow ; 
For here be some have pricked as far 
On Scottish ground as to Dunbar, 



32 MARMION. CANTO I. 

Have drunk the monks of Saint Bothan's ale, 
And driven the beeves of Lauderdale, 
Harried the wives of Greenlaw's goods. 
And given them light to set their hoods.' — 



XX. 

* Now, in good sooth,' Lord Marmion cried, 310 

' Were I in warlike wise to ride, 

A better guard I would not lack 

Than your stout forayers at my back ; 

But as in form of peace I go, 

A friendly messenger, to know. 

Why, through all Scotland, near and far. 

Their king is mustering troops for war, 

The sight of plundering Border spears 

Might justify suspicious fears. 

And deadly feud or thirst of spoil 320 

Break out in some unseemly broil. 

A herald were my fitting guide ; 

Or friar, sworn in peace to bide ; 

Or pardoner, or travelling priest. 

Or strolling pilgrim, at the least.' 



XXI. 

The captain mused a little space. 
And passed his hand across his face. — 
'■ Fain would I find the guide you want, 
But ill may spare a pursuivant. 
The only men that safe can ride 
Mine errands on the Scottish side : 
And though a bishop built this fort, 
Few holy brethren here resort ; 



CANTO I. ' THE CASTLE. l^ 

Even our good chaplain, as I ween, 

Since our last siege we have not seen. 

The mass he miglit not sing or say 

Upon one stinted meal a-day ; 

So, safe he sat in Durham aisle. 

And prayed for our success the while. 

Our Norham vicar, woe betide, 340 

Is all too well in case to ride ; 

The priest of Shores wood — he could rein 

The wildest war-horse in your train, 

But then no spearman in the hall 

Will sooner swear, or stab, or brawl. 

Friar John of Tillmouth were the man ; 

A blithesome brother at the can, 

A welcome guest in hall and bovver. 

He knows each casUe, town, and tower, 

In which the wine and ale is good, 350 

'Twixt Newcasde and Holy-Rood. 

But that good man, as ill befalls, 

Hath seldom left our castle walls, 

Since, on the vigil of Saint Bede, 

In evil hour he crossed the Tweed, 

To teach Dame Alison her creed. 

Old Bughtrig found him with his wife, 

And John, an enemy to strife. 

Sans frock and hood, fled for his life. 

The jealous churl hath deeply swore 360 

That, if again he venture o'er, 

He shall shrieve penitent no more. 

Little he loves such risks, I know, 

Yet in your guard perchance will go.' 

XXII. 

Young Selby, at the fair hall-board, 
Carved to his uncle and that lord, 



34 MARMION. CA.NTO I. 

And reverently took up the word : 

' Kind uncle, woe were we each one, 

If harm should hap to brother John. 

He is a man of mirthful speech, 370 

Can many a game and gambol teach ; 

Full well at tables can he play, 

And sweep at bowls the stake away. 

None can a lustier carol bawl. 

The needfullest among us all. 

When time hangs heavy in the hall, 

And snow comes thick at Christmas tide,- 

And we can neither hunt nor ride 

A foray on the Scottish side. 

The vowed revenge of Bughtrig rude 380 

May end in worse than loss of hood. 

Let Friar John in safety still 

In chimney-corner snore his fill, 

Roast hissing crabs, or flagons swill ; 

Last night, to Norham there came one 

Will better guide Lord Marmion.' — 

' Nephew,' quoth Heron, ' by my fay, 

Well hast thou spoke ; say forth thy say.' — 



XXIII. 

' Here is a holy Palmer come. 

From Salem first, and last from Rome ; 390 

One that hath kissed the blessed tomb, 

And visited each holy shrine 

In Araby and Palestine ; 

On hills of Armenie hath been. 

Where Noah's ark may yet be seen ; 

By that Red Sea, too, hath he trod, 

Which parted at the Prophet's rod \ 



CANTO I. THE CASTLE. 35 

In Sinai's wilderness he saw 

The Mount where Israel heard the law. 

Mid thunder-dint, and flashing levin, 400 

And shadows, mists, and darkness, given. 

He shows Saint James's cockle-shell, 

Of fair Montserrat, too, can tell ; 

And of that Grot where Olives nod, 
Where, darling of each heart and eye, 
From all the youth of Sicily, 

Saint Rosalie retired to God. 



XXIV. 

* To stout Saint George of Norwich merry. 
Saint Thomas, too, of Canterbury, 
Cuthbert of Durham and Saint Bede, 
For his sins' pardon hath he prayed. 
He knows the passes of the North, 
And seeks far shrines beyond the Forth ; 
Little he eats, and long will wake. 
And drinks but of the stream or lake. 
This were a guide o'er moor and dale ; 
But when our John hath quaffed his ale, 
As little as the wind that blows, 
And warms itself against his nose. 
Kens he, or cares, which way he goes.' — 

XXV. 

' Gramercy ! ' quoth Lord Marmion. 
' Full loath were I that Friar John, 
That venerable man, for me 
Were placed in fear or jeopardy : 
If this same Palmer will me lead 
Frpm hence to Holy- Rood, 



3^ MARMIOAL 



CANTO I. 



Like his good saint, I '11 pay his meed, 
Instead of cockle-shell or bead, 

With angels fair and good. 
I love such holy ramblers ; still 430 

They know to charm a weary hill 

With song, romance, or lay : 
Some jovial tale, or glee, or jest, 
Some lying legend, at the least, 

They bring to cheer the way.' — 



XXVI. 

' Ah ! noble sir,' young Selby said, 

And finger on his lip he laid, 

' This man knows much, perchance e'en more 

Than he could learn by holy lore. 

Still to himself he 's muttering, 

And shrinks as at some unseen thing. 

Last night we listened at his cell ; 

Strange sounds we heard, and, sooth to tell. 

He murmured on till morn, howe'er 

No living mortal could be near. 

Sometimes I thought I heard it plain, 

As other voices spoke again. 

I cannot tell — I like it not — 

Friar John hath told us it is wrote, 

No conscience clear and void of wrong 

Can rest awake and pray so long. 

Himself still sleeps before his beads 

Have marked ten aves and two creeds.' — 



XXVII. 

' Let pass,' quoth Marmion ; ' by my fay, 
This man shall guide me on my way, . 



CANTO I. THE CASTLE. 3 7 

Although the great arch-fiend and he 

Had sworn themselves of company. 

So please you, gende youth, to call 

This Palmer to the castle-hall' 

The summoned Palmer came in place : 460 

His sable cowl o'erhung his face ; 

In his black mande was he clad. 

With Peter's keys, in cloth of red. 

On his broad shoulders wrought ; 
The scallop shell his cap did deck ; 
The crucifix around his neck 

Was from Loretto brought ; 
His sandals were with travel tore, 
Staff, budget, bottle, scrip, he wore ; 
The faded palm-branch in his hand 470 

Showed pilgrim from the Holy Land. 



XXVIII. 

Whenas the Palmer came in hall. 

Nor lord nor knight was there more tall. 

Or had a statelier step withal. 

Or looked more liigh and keen ; 
For no saluting did he wait. 
But strode across the hall of state. 
And fronted Marmion where he sate, 

As he his peer had been. 
But his gaunt frame was worn with toil ; 480 

His cheek was sunk" alas the while ! 
And when he struggled at a smile 

His eye looked haggard wild : 
Poor wretch, the mother that him bare, 
If she had been in presence there, 
In his wan face and sunburnt hair 

She had not known her child. 



38 MARMION. 

Danger, long travel, want, or woe, 

Soon change the form that best we know — 

For deadly fear can time outgo, 

And blanch at once the hair ; 
Hard toil can roughen form and face. 
And want can quench the eye's bright grace. 
Nor does old age a wrinkle trace 

More deeply than d'espair. 
Happy whom none of these befall. 
But this poor Palmer knew them all. 



XXIX. 

Lord Marmion then his boon did ask ; 

The Palmer took on him the task. 

So he would march with morning tide, 500 

To Scottish court to be his guide, 

' But I have solemn vows to pay, 

And may not linger by the way. 

To fair Saint Andrew's bound, 
Within the ocean-cave to pray. 
Where good Saint Rule his holy lay, 
From midnight to the dawn of day. 

Sung to the billows' sound ; 
Thence to Saint Fillan's blessed well, 
Whose spring can frenzied dreams dispel, 510 

And the crazed brain restore. 
Saint Mary grant that cave or spring 
Could back to peace my bosom bring. 

Or bid it throb no more ! ' 



XXX. 

And now the midnight draught of sleep, 
Where wine and spices richly steep, 



THE CASTLE. ■ 39 

In massive l^owl of silver deep, 

The page presents on knee. 
Lord Marmion drank a fair good rest, 
The captain pledged his noble guest, 520 

The cup went through among the rest, 

Who drained it merrily ; 
Alone the Palmer passed it by. 
Though Selby pressed him courteously. 
This was a sign the feast was o'er ; 
It hushed the merry wassail roar, 

The minstrels ceased to sound. 
Soon in the castle nought was heard 
But the slow footstep of the guard 

Pacing his sober round. 530 



XXXI. 

With early dawn Lord Marmion rose : 
And first the chapel doors unclose ; 
Then, after morning rites were done — 
A hasty mass from Friar John — 
And knight and squire had broke their fast 
On rich substantial repast, 
Lord Marmion's bugles blew to horse. 
Then came the stirrup-cup in course : 
Between the baron and his host, 
No point of courtesy was lost ; 
High thanks were by Lord Marmion paid. 
Solemn excuse the captain made. 
Till, filing from the gate, had passed 
That noble train, their lord the last. 
Then loudly rung the trumpet call ; 
Thundered the cannon from the wall, 
And shook the Scottish shore ; 



40 



marmion: 



Around the castle eddied slow 
Volumes of smoke as white as snow 

And hid its turrets hoar, 
Till they rolled forth upon the air, 
And met the river breezes there, 
Which gave again the prospect fair. 



55° 





INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 



To THE REV. JOHN HARRIOT, A. M, 



Ashestiel, Ettrick Forest. 

The scenes are desert now and bare, 

Where flourished once a forest fair. 

When these waste glens with copse were lined, 

And peopled with the hart and hind. 

Yon thorn — perchance whose prickly spears 

Have fenced him for three hundred years, 

While fell around his green compeers — 

Yon lonely thorn, would he could tell 

The changes of his parent dell. 

Since he, so gray and stubborn now, 

Waved in each breeze a sapling l)ough ! 

Would he could tell how deep the shade 

A thousand mingled branches made ; 

How broad the shadows of the oak, 

How clung the rowan to the rock. 



42 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 

And through the foliage showed his head, 
With narrow leaves and berries red ; 
What pines on every mountain sprung, 
O'er every dell what birches hung, 
In every breeze what aspens shook, 
What alders shaded every brook ! 



* Here, in my shade,' methinks he 'd say, 
' The mighty stag at noontide lay ; 
The wolf I 've seen, a fiercer game, — 
The neighboring dingle bears his name, — 
With lurching step around me prowl, 
And stop, against the moon to howl ; 
The mountain-boar, on battle set. 
His tusks upon my stem would whet ; 
While doe, and roe, and red-deer good, 30 

Have bounded by through gay greenwood. 
Then oft from Newark's riven tower 
Sallied a Scottish monarch's power : 
A thousand vassals mustered round. 
With horse, and hawk, and horn, and hound ; 
And I might see the youth intent 
Guard every pass with crossbow bent ; 
And through the brake the rangers stalk, 
And falconers hold the ready hawk ; 
And foresters, in greenwood trim, 40 

Lead in the leash the gazehounds grim. 
Attentive, as the bratchet's bay 
From the dark covert drove the prey, 
To slip them as he broke away. 
The startled quarry bounds amain, 
As fast the gallant greyhounds strain ; 
Whistles the arrow from the bow. 
Answers the harquebuss below ; 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 43 

While all the rocking hills reply 

To hoof-clang, hound, and hunters' cry, 50 

And bugles ringing lightsomely.' 



Of such proud huntings many tales 
Yet linger in our lonely dales, 
Up pathless Ettrick and on Yarrow, 
Where erst the outlaw drew his arrow. 
But not more blithe that sylvan court. 
Than we have been at humbler sport ; 
Though small our pomp and mean our game, 
Our mirth, dear Harriot, was the same. 
Remember'st thou my greyhounds true ? 
O'er holt or hill there never flew, 
Frcm slip or leash there never sprang. 
More fleet of foot or sure of fang. 
Nor dull, between each merry chase, 
Passed by the intermitted space ; 
For we had fair resource in store. 
In Classic and in Gothic lore : 
We marked each memorable scene. 
And held poetic talk between ; 
Nor hill, nor brook, we paced along. 
But had its legend or its song. 
All silent now — for now are still 
Thy bowers, untenanted Bowhill ! 
No longer from thy mountains dun 
The yeoman hears the well-known gun, 
And while his honest heart glows v.arm 
At thought of his paternal farm, 
Round to his mates a brimmer fills. 
And drinks, ' The Chieftain of the Hills ! ' 
No fairy forms, in Yarrow's bowers, 
Trip o'er the walks or tend the flowers. 



44 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 

Fair as the elves whom Janet saw 
By moonhght dance on Carterhaugh ; 
No youthful Baron 's left to grace 
The Forest-Sheriffs lonely chace, 
And ape, in manly step and tone, 
The majesty of Oberon : 
And she is gone whose lovely face 
Is but her least and lowest grace ; 
Though if to Sylphid Queen 't were given 
To show our earth the charms of heaven, 
She could not glide along the air 
With form more light or face more fair. 
No more the widow's deafened ear 
Grows quick that lady's step to hear : 
At noontide she expects her not, 
Nor busies her to trim the cot ; 
Pensive she turns her humming wheel. 
Or pensive cooks her orphans' meal, 
Yet blesses, ere she deals their bread. 
The gentle hand by which they 're fed. 

From Yair — which hills so closely bind. 
Scarce can the Tweed his passage find. 
Though much he fret, and chafe, and toil, 
Till all his eddying currents boil — 
Her long-descended lord is gone. 
And left us by the stream alone. 
And much I miss those sportive boys, 
Companions of my mountain joys. 
Just at the age 'twixt boy and youth, 
W-hen thought is speech, and speech is truth. 
Close to my side with what delight 
They pressed to hear of Wallace wight. 
When, pointing to his airy mound, 
I called his ramparts holy ground ! 



IXTRODUCTION TO CAATO SKCOXD. 45 

Kindled their brows to hear me speak ; 

And I have smiled, to feel my cheek, 

Despite the difference of our years. 

Return again the glow of theirs. 

Ah, happy boys ! such feelings pure, «o 

They will not, cannot long endure ; 

Condemned to stem the world's rude tide. 

You may not linger by the side ; 

For Fate shall thrust you from the shore, 

And Passion ply the sail and oar. 

Yet cherish the remembrance still 

Of the lone mountain and the rill ; 

For trust, dear boys, the time will come, 

When fiercer transport shall be dumb, 

And you will think right frequently, 130 

But, well I hope, without a sigh. 

On the free hours that we have spent 

Together on the brown hill's bent. 



When, musing on companions gone, 
We doubly feel ourselves alone, 
Something, my friend, we yet may gain ; 
There is a pleasure in this pain : 
It soothes the love of lonely rest. 
Deep in each gender heart impressed. 
'T is silent amid worldly toils, »4o 

And stifled soon by mental broils ; 
But, in a bosom thus prepared, 
Its still small voice is often heard. 
Whispering a mingled sentiment 
'Twixt resignation and content. 
Oft in my mind such thoughts awake 
By lone Saint Mary's silent lake : 



46 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 

Thou knovv'st it well, — nor fen nor sedge 

Pollute the pure lake's crystal edge ; 

Abrupt and sheer, the mountains sink 150 

At once upon the level brink, 

And just a trace of silver sand 

Marks where the water meets the land. 

Far in the mirror, bright and blue, 

Each hill's huge outline you may view ; 

Shaggy with heath, but lonely bare. 

Nor tree, nor bush, nor brake is there. 

Save where of land yon slender line 

Bears thwart the lake the scattered pine. 

Yet even this nakedness has power, 160 

And aids the feeling of the hour : 

Nor thicket, dell, nor copse you spy. 

Where living thing concealed might lie ; 

Nor point retiring hides a dell 

Where swain or woodman lone might dwell. 

There 's nothing left to fancy's guess, 

You see that all is loneliness : 

And silence aids — though the steep hills 

Send to the lake a thousand rills ; 

In summer tide so soft they weep, 170 

The sound but lulls the ear asleep ; 

Your horse's hoof-tread sounds too rude, 

So stilly is the solitude. 

Nought living meets the eye or ear, 
But well- 1 ween the dead are near ; 
For though, in feudal strife, a foe 
Hath laid Our Lady's chapel low, 
Yet still, beneath the hallowed soil, 
The peasant rests him from his toil, 
And dying bids his bones be laid 180 

Where erst his simple fathers prayed. 



JNTKODUCriON TO CAM'O SECOND. 47 

If age had tamed the passions' strife, 
And fate had cut my ties to life, 
Here have I thought 'twere sweet to dwell, 
And rear again the chaplain's cell, 
Like that same peaceful hermitage, 
Where Milton longed to spend his age. 
'T were sweet to mark the setting day 
On Bourhope's lonely top decay, 
And, as it faint and feel^le died 190 

On the tiroad lake and mountain's side, 
To say/ ' Thus pleasures fade away ; 
Youth, Talents, beauty, thus decay, , 
And leave us dark, forlorn, and gray\' 
Then gaze on Dry hope's ruined tower, 
And think on Yarrow's faded Flower : 
And when that mountain-sound I heard. 
Which bids us be for storm prepared. 
The distant rustling of his wings. 
As up his force the Tempest brings, 200 

'T were sweet, ere yet his terrors rave. 
To sit upon the Wizard's grave, 
That Wizard Priest's whose bones are thrust 
From company of holy dust ; 
On which no sunbeam ever shines — 
So superstidon's creed divines — 
Thence view the lake with sullen roar 
Heave her broad billows to the shore ; 
And mark the wild-swans mount the gale. 
Spread wide through mist their snowy sail, 210 

And ever stoop again, to lave 
Their bosoms on the surging wave ; 
Then, when against the driving hail 
No longer might my plaid a\ail. 
Back to my lonely home retire, 
And light my lamp and trim my fire ; 



48 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 

There ponder o'er some mystic lay, 

Till the wild tale had all its sway, 

And, in the bittern's distant shriek, 

I heard unearthly voices speak, 

And thought the Wizard Priest was come 

To claim again his ancient home ! 

And bade my busy fancy range, 

To frame him fitting shape and strange, 

Till from the task my brow I cleared, 

And smiled to think that I had feared. 

But chief 't were sweet to think such life — 
Though but escape from fortune's strife — 
Something most matchless good and wise, 
A great and grateful sacrifice, 
And deem each hour to musing given 
A step upon the road to heaven. 

Yet him whose heart is ill at ease 
Such peaceful solitudes displease ; 
He loves to drown his bosom's jar 
Amid the elemental war : 
And my black Palmer's choice had been 
Some ruder and more savage scene, 
Like that which frowns round dark Loch-skene. 
There eagles scream from isle to shore ; 
Down all the rocks the torrents roar ; 
O'er the black waves incessant driven. 
Dark mists infect the summer heaven ; 
•Through the rude barriers of the lake. 
Away its hurrying waters break. 
Faster and whiter dash and curl. 
Till down yon dark abyss they hurl. 
Rises the fog-smoke white as snow. 
Thunders the viewless stream below. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 49 

Diving, as if condemned to la\e 250 

Some demon's subterranean cave, 

Who, prisoned l)y enchanter's spell. 

Shakes the dark rock with groan and yell. 

And well that Palmer's form and mien 

Had suited with the stormy scene. 

Just on the edge, straining his ken 

To view the bottom of the den. 

Where, deep deep down, and far within. 

Toils with the rocks the roaring linn ; 

Then, issuing forth one foamy wave, 260 

And wheeling round the Giant's Grave, 

White as the snowy charger's tail. 

Drives down the pass of Moffatdale. 

Harriot, thy harp, on Isis strung, 
To many a. Border theme has rung : 
Then list to me, and thou shalt know 
Of this mysterious Man of Woe. 





RUINS OF WHITBY ABBEY. 



CANTO SECOND. 



THE CONVENT. 



The breeze which swept away the smoke 

Round Norham Castle rolled, 
When all the loud artillery spoke 
With lightning-flash and thunder-stroke, 
As Marmion left the hold, — 



CANTO II. THE CONVENT. 5 1 

It curled not Tweed alone, that breeze, 
For, far upon Northumbrian seas, 

It freshly blew and strong, 
Where, from high Whitby's cloistered pile, 
Bound to Saint Cuthbert's Holy Isle, lo 

It bore a bark along. 
Upon the gale she stooped her side. 
And bounded o'er the swelling tide. 

As she were dancing home ; 
The merry seamen laughed to see 
Their gallant ship so lustily 

Furrow the green sea-foam. 
Much joyed they in their honored freight ; 
For on the deck, in chair of state, 
The Abbess of Saint Hilda placed, 20 

With five fair nuns, the galley graced. 



II. 

'T was sweet to see these holy maids. 
Like birds escaped to greenwood shades, 

Their first flight from the cage, 
How timid, and how curious too, 
For all to them was strange and new. 
And all the common sights they view 

Their wonderment engage. 
One eyed the shrouds and swelling sail. 

With many a benedicite ; 
One at the rippling surge grew pale. 

And would for terror pray, 
Then shrieked because the sea-dog nigh 
His round black head and sparkling eye 

Reared o'er the foaming spray ; 
And one would still adjust her veil, 
Disordered by the summer gale, 



52 M ARM ION. CANTO II. 

Perchance lest some more worldly eye 

Her dedicated charms might spy, 

Perchance because such action graced 40 

Her fair-turned arm and slender waist. 

Light was each simple bosom there, 

Save two, who ill might pleasure share, — 

The Abbess and the Novice Clare. 



III. 

The xA.bbess was of noble blood, 

But early took the veil and hood, 

Ere upon life she cast a look, 

Or knew the world that she forsook. 

Fair too she was, and kind had been 

As she was fair, but ne'er had seen 5° 

For her a timid lover sigh. 

Nor knew the influence of her eye. 

Love to her ear was but a name, 

Combined with vanity and shame ; 

Her hopes, her fears, her joys, were all 

Bounded within the cloister wall ; 

The deadliest sin her mind could reach 

Was of monastic rule the breach. 

And her ambition's highest aim 

To emulate Saint Hilda's fame. 60 

For this she gave her ample dower 

To raise the convent's eastern tower ; 

For this, with carving rare and quaint, 

She decked the chapel of the saint. 

And gave the relic-shrine of cost. 

With ivory and gems embossed. 

The poor her convent's bounty blest, 

The pilgrim in its halls found rest. 



CANTO II. THE CONVENT. 53 



IV. 

Black was her garb, her rigid rule 

Reformed on Benedictine school ; 70 

Her cheek was pale, her form was spare ; 

Vigils and penitence austere 

Had early quenched the light of youth : 

But gentle was the dame, in sooth ; 

Though, vain of her religious sway, 

She loved to see her maids obey, 

Yet nothing stern was she in cell. 

And the nuns loved their Abbess well. 

Sad was this voyage to the dame ; 

Summoned to Lindisfarne, she came, 80 

There, with Saint Cuthbert's Abbot old 

And Tynemouth's Prioress, to hold 

A chapter of Saint Benedict, 

For inquisition stern and strict 

On two apostates from the faith, 

And, if need were, to doom to death. 

V. 

Nought say I here of Sister Clare, 

Save this, that she was young and fair ; 

As yet a novice unprofessed. 

Lovely and gentle, but distressed. go 

She was betrothed to one now dead, 

Or worse, who had dishonored fled. 

Her kinsmen bade her give her hand 

To one who loved her for her land ; 

Herself, almost heart-broken now, 

Was bent to take the vestal vow, 

And shroud within Saint Hilda's gloom 

Her blasted hopes and withered bloom. 



54 MARMION. CANTO ii. 



VI. 

She sate upon the galley's prow, 

And seemed to mark the waves below ; 

Nay, seemed, so fixed her look and eye, 

To count them as they glided by. 

She saw them not — 't was seemmg all — 

Far other scene her thoughts recall, — 

A sun-scorched desert, waste and bare, 

Nor waves nor breezes murmured there ; 

There saw she where some careless hand 

O'er a dead corpse had heaped the sand, 

To hide it till the jackals come 

To tear it from the scanty tomb. — 

See what a woful look was given. 

As she raised up her eyes to heaven ! 



VII. 

Lovely, and gentle, and distressed — 

These charms might tame the fiercest breast : 

Harpers have sung and poets told 

That he, in fury uncontrolled. 

The shaggy monarch of the wood, 

Before a virgin, fair and good, 

Hath pacified his savage mood. 

But passions in the human frame 

Oft put the lion's rage to shame ; 

And jealousy, by dark intrigue. 

With sordid avarice in league. 

Had practised with their bowl and knife 

Against the mourner's harmless life. 

This crime was charged 'gainst those who lay 

Prisoned in Cuthbert's islet gray. 



THE CONVENT. 55 

VIII. 

And now the vessel skirts the strand 

Of mountainous Northumberland ; 

Towns, towers, and halls successive rise, 130 

And catch the nuns' delighted eyes. 

Monk-Wearmouth soon behind them lay, 

And Tynemouth's priory and bay ; 

They marked amid her trees the hall 

Of lofty Seaton-Delaval ; 

They saw the Blythe and Wansbeck floods 

Rush to the sea through sounding woods ; 

They passed the tower of Widderington, 

Mother of many a valiant son ; 

At Coquet-isle their beads they tell 140 

To the good saint who owned the cell ; 

Then did the Alne attention claim, 

And Warkworth, proud of Percy's name ; 

And next they crossed themselves to hear 

The whitening breakers sound so near. 

Where, boiling through the rocks, they roar 

On Dunstanborough's caverned shore ; 

Thy tower, proud Bamborough, marked they there, 

King Ida's castle, huge and square, 

From its tall rock look grimly down, 150 

And on the swelling ocean frown ; 

Then from the coast they bore away, 

And reached the Holy Island's bay. 

IX. 

The tide did now its flood-mark gain, 
And girdled in the Saint's domain ; 
For, with the flow and ebb, its style 
Varies from continent to isle : 



56 



MARMION. 



CANTO 11. 




HOLY ISLAND. 



Dry shod, o'er sands, twice every day 
The pilgrims to the shrine find way ; 
Twice every day the waves efface 
Of staves and sandalled feet the trace. 
As to the port the galley flew, 
Higher and higher rose to view 
The castle with its battled walls, 
The ancient monastery's halls, 
A solemn, huge, and dark-red pile. 
Placed on the margin of the isle. 



CANTO ir. THE CONVENT. 57 



X. 

In Saxon strength that abbey frowned, 
With massive arches broad and round, 

That rose alternate, row and row, ,70 

On ponderous columns, short and low, 
Built ere the art was known. 

By pointed aisle and shafted stalk 

The arcades of an alleyed walk 
To emulate in stone. 
On the deep walls the heathen Dane 
Had poured his impious rage in vain ; 
And needful was such strength to these. 
Exposed to the tempestuous seas, 
Scourged by the winds' eternal sway, iSo 

Open to rovers fierce as they. 
Which could twelve hundred years withstand 
Winds, waves, and northern pirates' hand. 
Not but that portions of the pile, 
Rebuilded in a later style. 
Showed where the spoiler's hand had been ; 
Not but the wasting sea-breeze keen 
Had worn the pillar's carving quaint, 
And mouldered in his niche the saint. 
And rounded with consuming power 190 

The pointed angles of each tower ; 
Yet still entire the abbey stood, 
Like veteran, worn, but unsubdued. 



XI. 

Soon as they neared his turrets strong, 
The maidens raised Saint Hilda's song, 
And with the sea-wave and the wind 
Their voices, sweetly shrill, combined, 



58 MARMION. CANTO II. 

And made harmonious close ; 
Then, answering from the sandy shore, 
Half- drowned amid the breakers' roar, 200 

According chorus rose : 
Down to the haven of the Isle 
The monks and nuns in order file 

From Cuthbert's cloisters grim ; 
Banner, and cross, and relics there. 
To meet Saint Hilda's maids, they bare ; 
And, as they caught the sounds on air, 

They echoed back the hymn. 
The islanders in joyous mood 
Rushed emulously through the flood #210 

To hale the bark to land ; 
Conspicuous by her veil and hood, 
Signing the cross, the Abbess stood. 

And blessed them with her hand. 



XII. 

Suppose we now the welcome said. 
Suppose the convent banquet made : 

All through the holy dome, 
Through cloister, aisle, and gallery, 
Wherever vestal maid might pry. 
Nor risk to meet unhallowed eye, 

The stranger sisters roam ; 
Till fell the evening damp with dew, 
And the sharp sea-breeze coldly blew. 
For there even summer night is chill. 
Then, having strayed and gazed their fill, 

They closed around the fire ; 
And all, in turn, essayed to paint 
The rival merits of their saint, 

A theme that ne'er can tire 



THE CONVENT. 59 

A holy maid, for be it known 230 

That their saint's honor is their own. 



XIII. 

Then Whitby's nuns exulting told 
How to their house three barons bold 

Must menial service do, 
While horns blow out a note of shame, 
And monks cry, ' Fie upon your name ! 
In wrath, for loss of s)lvan game. 

Saint Hilda's priest ye slew.' — 
' This, on Ascension-day, each year. 
While laboring on our harbor-pier, 240 

Must Herbert, Bruce, and Percy hear.' — 
They told how in their con\ent-cell 
A Saxon princess once did dwell. 

The lovely Edelfled ; 
And how, of thousand snakes, each one 
Was changed into a coil of stone 

When holy Hilda prayed ; 
Themselves, within their holy bound. 
Their stony folds had often found. 
They told how sea-fowls' pinions fail, 250 

As over Whitby's towers they sail, 
And, sinking down, with flutterings faint, 
They do their homage to the saint. 



XIV. 

Nor did Saint Cutlil)ert's daughters fail 

To vie with these in holy tale ; 

His body's resting-place, of old, 

How oft their patron changed, they told ; 



6o MARMION. 



CANTO 11. 



How, when the rude Dane burned their pile, 

The monks fled forth from Holy Isle ; 

O'er Northern mountain, marsh, and moor, 260 

From sea to sea, from shore to shore, 

Seven years Saint Cuthbert's corpse they bore. 

They rested them in fair Melrose ; 
But though, alive, he loved it well, 

Not there his relics might repose ; 
For, wondrous tale to tell ! 

In his stone coffin forth he rides, 

A ponderous bark for river tides, 

Yet light as gossamer it gHdes 

Downward to Tilmouth cell, 270 

Nor long was his abiding there. 
For southward did the saint repair ; 
Chester-le-Street and Ripon saw 
His holy corpse ere Wardilaw 

Hailed him with joy and fear ; 
And, after many wanderings past, 
He chose his lordly seat at last 
Where his cathedral, huge and vast. 

Looks down upon the Wear. 
There, deep in Durham's Gothic shade, 280 

His relics are in secret laid ; 

But none may know the place. 
Save of his holiest servants three. 
Deep sworn to solemn secrecy, 

Who share that wondrous grace. 



XV. 

Who may his miracles declare ? 
Even Scotland's dauntless king and heir — 
Although with them they led 



THE CONVENT. 



6l 




DURHAM CATHEDRAL. 



Galwegians, wild as ocean's gale, 

And Loden's knights, all sheathed in mail. 

And the bold men of Teviotdale — 

Before his standard fled. 
T was he, to vindicate his reign, 
Edged Alfred's falchion on the Dane, 
And turned the Conqueror back again, 
When, with his Norman bowyer band. 
He came to waste Northumberland. 



62 MARMION. CANTO II. 



XVI. 

But fain Saint Hilda's nuns would learn 
If on a rock, by Lindisfarne, 
Saint Cuthbert sits, and toils to frame 
The sea-born beads that bear his name : 
Such tales had Whitby's fishers told, 
And said they might his shape behold, 

And hear his anvil sound ; 
A deadened clang, — a huge dim form, 
Seen but, and heard, when gathering storm 

And night were closing round. 
But this, as tale of idle fame. 
The nuns of Lindisfarne disclaim. 



XVII. 

While round the fire such legends go, 310 

Far different was the scene of woe 
Where, in a secret aisle beneath. 
Council was held of life and death. 

It was more dark and lone, that vault. 
Than the worst dungeon cell ; 

Old Colwulf built it, for his fault 
In penitence to dwell. 
When he for cowl and beads laid down 
The Saxon battle-axe and crown. 
This den, which, chilling every sense 320 

Of feeling, hearing, sight. 
Was called the Vault of Penitence, 

Excluding air and light. 
Was by the prelate Sexhelm made 
A place of burial for such dead 
As, having died in mortal sin. 
Might not be laid the church within. 



CANTO II. THE CONVENT. 63 

'T was now a place of punishment ; 
Whence if so loud a shriek were sent 

As reached the upper air, 330 

The hearers blessed themselves, and said 
The spirits of the sinful dead 

Bemoaned their torments there. 



XVIII. 

But though, in the monastic pile, 
Did of this penitential aisle 

Some vague tradition go. 
Few only, save the Abbot, knew 
Where the place lay, and still more few 
Were those who had from him the clew 

To that dread vault to go. 
Victim and executioner 
Were blindfold when transported there. 
In low dark rounds the arches hung, 
From the rude rock the side-walls sprung ; 
The gravestones, rudely sculptured o'er, 
Half sunk in earth, by time half wore, 
Were all the pavement of the floor ; 
The mildew- drops fell one by one. 
With tinkling plash, upon the stone. 
A cresset, in an iron chain, 
Which served to light this drear domain, 
With damp and darkness seemed to strive, 
As if it scarce might keep alive ; 
And yet it dimly served to show 
The awful conclave met below. 



XIX. 

There, met to doom in secrecy, 

Were placed the heads of convents three. 



64 MARMION. 



CANTO II. 



All servants of Saint Benedict, 
The statutes of whose order strict 

On iron table lay ; 360 

In long black dress, on seats of stone, 
Behind were these three judges shown 

By the pale cresset's ray. 
The Abbess of Saint Hilda's there 
Sat for a space with visage bare, 
Until, to hide her bosom's swell, 
And tear-drops that for pity fell. 

She closely drew her veil ; 
Yon shrouded figure, as I guess. 
By her proud mien and flowing dress, 370 

Is Tynemouth's haughty Prioress, 

And she with awe looks pale ; 
And he, that ancient man, whose sight 
Has long been quenched by age's night, 
Upon whose wrinkled brow alone 
Nor ruth nor mercy's trace is shown. 

Whose look is hard and stern, — 
Saint Cuthbert's Abbot is his style. 
For sanctity called through the isle 

The Saint of Lindisfarne. 380 

XX. 

Before them stood a guilty pair ; 
But, though an equal fate they share, 
Yet one alone deserves our care. 
Her. sex a page's dress belied ; 
The cloak and doublet, loosely tied. 
Obscured her charms, but could not hide. 

Her cap down o'er her face she drew ; 
And, on her doublet breast, 

She tried to hide the badge of blue, 

Lord Marmion's falcon crest. 390 



CANTO II. THE CONVEXT. 65 

But, at the prioress' command, 
A monk undid the silken band 

That tied her tresses fair, 
And raised the bonnet from her head, 
And down her slender form they spread 

In ringlets rich and rare. 
Constance de Beverley they know, 
Sister professed of Fontevraud, 
Whom the Church numbered with the dead, 
For broken vows and convent fled. 400 



XXI. 

When thus her face was given to view, — 
Although so pallid was her hue. 
It did a ghastly contrast bear 
To those bright ringlets glistering fair, — 
Her look composed, and steady eye, 
Bespoke a matchless constancy ; 
And there she stood so calm and pale 
That, but her breathing did not fail, 
And motion slight of eye and head, 
And of her bosom, warranted 
That neither sense nor pulse she lacks, 
You might have thought a form of wax, 
Wrought to the very life, was there ; 
So still she was, so pale, so fair. 

XXII. 

Her comrade was a sordid soul, 

Such as does murder for a meed ; 
Who, but of fear, knows no control, 
Because his conscience, seared and foul. 
Feels not the import of his deed ; 
S 



66 MARMTON. 



CANTO II. 



One whose brute-feeling ne'er aspires 420 

Beyond his own more brute desires. 

Such tools the Tempter ever needs 

To do the savagest of deeds ; 

For them no visioned terrors daunt, 

Their nights no fancied spectres haunt ; 

One fear with them, of all most base, 

The fear of death, alone finds place. 

This wretch was clad in frock and cowl, 

And shamed not loud to moan and howl, 

His body on the floor to dash, 430 

And crouch, like hound beneath the lash ; " 

While his mute partner, standing near, 

Waited her doom without a tear. 



XXIII. 

Yet well the luckless wretch might shriek, 
Well might her paleness terror speak ! 
For there were seen in that dark wall 
Two niches, narrow, deep, and tall ; — 
Who enters at such grisly door 
Shall ne'er, I ween, find exit more. 
In each a slender meal was laid. 
Of roots, of water, and of bread ; 
By each, in Benedictine dress, 
Two haggard monks stood motionless, 
Who, holding high a blazing torch, 
Showed the grim entrance of the porch ; 
Reflecting back the smoky beam, 
The dark-red walls and arches gleam. 
Hewn stones and cement were displayed, 
And building tools in order laid. 



CANTO II. 



THE CONVENT. 67 



XXIV. 



These executioners were chose 450 

As men who were with mankind foes, 
And, with despite and envy fired, 
Into the cloister had retired, 

Or who, in desperate doubt of grace, 

Strove by deep penance to efface 
Of some foul crime the stain ; 

For, as the vassals of her will. 

Such men the Church selected still 

As either joyed in doing ill, 

Or thought more grace to gain 460 

If in her cause they wrestled down 
Feelings their nature strove to own. 
By strange device were they brought there. 
They knew not how, and knew not where. 



XXV. 

And now that blind old abbot rose, 

To speak the Chapter's doom 
On those the wall was to enclose 

Alive within the tomb, 
But stopped because that woful maid. 
Gathering her powers, to speak essayed ; 
Twice she essayed, and twice in vain, 
Her accents might no utterance gain ; 
Nought but imperfect murmurs slip 
From her convulsed and quivering lip : 
'Twixt each attempt all was so still, 
You seemed to hear a distant rill — 
'T was ocean's swells and falls ; 



68 MARMION, CANTO II. 

For though this vault of sin and fear 
Was to the sounding surge so near, 
A tempest there you scarce could hear, 480 

So massive were the walls. 



XXVI. 

At length, an effort sent apart 

The blood that curdled to her heart, 

And light came to her eye, 
And color dawned upon her cheek, 
A hectic and a fluttered streak, 
Like that left on the Cheviot peak 

By Autumn's stormy sky ; 
And when her silence broke at length, 
Still as she spoke she gathered strength, 

And armed herself to bear. 
It was a fearful sight to see 
Such high resolve and constancy 

In form so soft and fair. 



xxvii. 

' I speak not to implore your grace. 
Well know I for one minute's space 

Successless might I sue : 
Nor do I speak your prayers to gain ; 
For if a death of lingering pain 
To cleanse my sins be penance vain, 500 

Vain are your masses too. — 
I listened to a traitor's tale, 
I left the convent and the veil ; 
For three long years I bowed my pride, 
A horse-boy in his train to ride ; 



THE CONVENT. 69 

And well my folly's meed he gave, 

Who forfeited, to be his slave, 

All here, and all beyond the grave. 

He saw young Clara's face more fair, 

He knew her of broad lands the heir, 510 

Forgot his vows, his faith forswore. 

And Constance was beloved no more. 

T is an old tale, and often told ; 
But did my fate and wish agree. 

Ne'er had been read, in story old. 

Of maiden true betrayed for gold, 
That loved, or was avenged, like me ! 



XXVIII. 

' The king approved his favorite's aim ; 
In vain a rival barred his claim. 

Whose fate with Clare's was plight, 520 

For he attaints that rival's fame 
With treason's charge — and on they came 

In mortal lists to fight. 
Their oaths are said, 
Their prayers are prayed. 
Their lances in the rest are laid. 

They meet in mortal shock ; 
And hark ! the throng, with thundering cry, 
Shout '* Marmion, Marmion ! to the sky, 

De Wilton to the block ! " 530 

Say, ye who preach Heaven shall decide 
When in the lists two champions ride, 

Say, was Heaven's justice here? 
When, loyal in his love and faith, 
Wilton found overthrow or death 

Beneath a traitor's spear? 



70 MARMION. CANTO ir. 

How false the charge, how true he fell, 

This guilty packet best can tell.' 

Then drew a packet from her breast, 

Paused, gathered voice, and spoke the rest. 540 



XXIX. 

'■ Still was false Marmion's bridal stayed ; 
To Whitby's convent fled the maid, 

The hated match to shun. 
" Ho ! shifts she thus? " King Henry cried, 
" Sir Marmion, she shall be thy bride. 

If she were sworn a nun." 
One way remained - — the king's command 
Sent Marmion to the Scottish land ; 
I lingered here, and rescue planned 

For Clara and for me : " 550 

This caitiff monk for gold did swear 
He would to Whitby's shrine repair, 
And by his drugs my rival fair 

A saint in heaven should be ; 
But ill the dastard kept his oath, 
Whose cowardice hath undone us both. 



XXX. 

^ And now my tongue the secret tells, 

Not that remorse my bosom swells, 

But to assure my soul that none 

Shall ever wed with Marmion. 569 

Had fortune my last hope betrayed, 

This packet, to the king conveyed. 

Had given him to the headsman's stroke, 

Although my heart that instant broke. — 



CANTO II. THE CONVENT. 7 1 

Now, men of death, work forth )'our will, 
For I can suffer, and be still ; 
And come he slow, or come he fast, 
It is but Death who comes at last. 



XXXI. 

' Yet dread me from my living tomb.. 

Ye vassal slaves of bloody Rome ! 570 

If Marmion's late remorse should wake, 

Full soon such vengeance will he take 

That you shall wish the fiery Dane 

Had rather been your guest again. 

Behind, a darker hour ascends ! 

The altars quake, the crosier bends, 

The ire of a despotic king 

Rides forth upon destruction's wing ; 

Then shall these vaults, so strong and deep. 

Burst open to the sea- winds' sweep ; 5S0 

Some traveller then shall find my bones 

Whitening amid disjointed stones, 

And, ignoiant of priests' cruelty, 

Marvel such relics here should be.' 



XXXII. 

Fixed was her look and stern her air : 
Back from her shoulders streamed her hair ; 
The locks that wont her brow to shade 
Stared up erecUy from her head ; 
Her figure seemed to rise more high ; 
Her voice despair's wild energy 
Had given a tone of prophecy. 
Appalled the astonished conclave sate ; 
With stupid eyes, the men of fate 



72 MARMION. CANTO II. 

Gazed on the light inspired form, 

And listened for the avenging storm ; 

The judges felt the victim's dread ; 

No hand was moved, no word was said, 
Till thus the abbot's doom was given, 

Raising his sightless balls to heaven : 

' Sister, let thy sorrows cease ; 600 

Sinful brother, part in peace ! ^ 

From that dire dungeon, place of doom, 
Of execution too, and tomb, 

Paced forth the judges three ; 
Sorrow it were and shame to tell 
The butcher-work that there befell, 
When they had glided from the cell 
Of sin and misery. 



XXXIII. 

An hundred winding steps convey 

That conclave to the upper day ; 610 

But ere they breathed the fresher air 

They heard the shriekings of despair. 

And many a stifled groan. 
With speed their upward way they take, — 
Such speed as age and fear can make, — 
And crossed themselves for terror's sake, 

As hurrying, tottering on. 
Even in the vesper's heavenly tone 
They seemed to hear a dying groan, 
And bade the passing knell to toll 620 

For welfare of a parting soul. 
Slow o'er the midnight wave it swung, 
Northumbrian rocks in answer rung ; 
To Warkworth cell the echoes rolled, 
His beads the wakeful hermit told ; 



CANTO II. 



THE CONVENT. 



73 



The Bamborough peasant raised his head, 
But slept ere half a prayer he said ; 
So far was heard the mighty knell, 
The stag sprung up on Cheviot Fell, 
Spread his broad nostril to the wind. 
Listed before, aside, behind, 
Then couched him down beside the hind. 
And quaked among the mountain fern, 
To hear that sound so dull and stern. 



630 




"Tl>e sandy shore" (ii. 199). 










INTRODUCTION TO CANTO THIRD. 



To WILLIAM ERSKINE, ESQ. 



Ashesticl, Ettrick Forest. 

Like April morning clouds, that pass 

With varying shadow o'er the grass, 

And imitate on field and furrow 

Life's checkered scene of joy and sorrow ; 

Like streamlet of the mountain north, 

Now in a torrent racing forth. 

Now winding slow its silver train, 

And almost slumbering on the plain ; 

Like breezes of the autumn day, 

Whose voice inconstant dies away, 

And ever swells again as fast 

When the ear deems its murmur past : 

Thus various, my romantic theme 

Flits, winds, or sinks, a morning dream. 



INTRODUCTTON TO CANTO THIRD. 75 

Yet pleased, our eye pursues the trace 

Of Light and Shade's inconstant race ; 

Pleased, views the rivulet afar, 

Weaving its maze irregular ; 

And pleased, we listen as the breeze 

Heaves its wild sigh through Autumn trees : » 

Then, wild as cloud, or stream, or gale. 

Flow on, flow unconfined, my tale ! 

Need I to thee, dear Erskine, tell 
I love the license all too well. 
In sounds now lowly, and now strong, 
To raise the desultory song? 
Oft, when mid such capricious chime 
Some transient fit of loftier rhyme 
To thy kind judgment seemed excuse 
For many an error of the muse, 30 

Oft hast thou said, ' If, still misspent, 
Thine hours to j^oetry are lent, 
Go, and to tame thy wandering course, 
Quaff from the fountain at the source ; 
Approach those masters o'er whose tomb 
Immortal laurels ever bloom : 
Instructive of the feebler bard, 
Still from the grave their voice is heard ; , 
From them, and from the paths they showed, 
Choose honored guide and practised road ; 4c 

Nor ramble on through brake and maze, 
With harpers rude of barbarous days. 

' Or deem'st thou not our later time 
Yields topic meet for classic rhyme ? 
Hast thou no elegiac verse 
For Brunswick's venerable hearse ? 



^6 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO THIRD. 

What ! not a line, a tear, a sigh, 

When valor bleeds for liberty ? — 

Oh, hero of that glorious time. 

When, with unrivalled light sublime, — 50 

Though martial Austria, and though all 

The might of Russia, and the Gaul, 

Though banded Europe stood her foes — 

The star of Brandenburg arose ! 

Thou couldst not live to see her beam 

Forever quenched in Jena's stream. 

Lamented chief ! — it was not given 

To thee to change the doom of Heaven, 

And crush that dragon in its birth. 

Predestined scourge of guilty earth. 60 

Lamented chief ! — not thine the power 

To save in that presumptuous hour 

When Prussia hurried to the field. 

And snatched the spear, but left the shield ! 

Valor and skill 't was thine to try. 

And, tried in vain, 't was thine to die. 

Ill had it seemed thy silver hair 

The last, the bitterest pang to share, 

For princedoms reft, and scutcheons riven. 

And birthrights to usurpers given ; 70 

Thy land's, thy children's wrongs to feel, 

And witness woes thou couldst not heal ! 

On thee relenting Heaven bestows 

For honored life an honored close ; 

And when revolves, in time's sure change, 

The hour of Germany's revenge, 

When, breathing fury for her sake. 

Some new Arminius shall awake. 

Her champion, ere he strike, shall come 

To whet his sword on Brunswick's tomb. 80 



INTRODUCriON TO CANTO THIRD. 77 

' Or of the Red- Cross hero teach, 
Dauntless in dungeon as on breach. 
Alike to him the sea, the shore, 
The brand, the bridle, or the oar : 
Alike to him the war that calls 
Its votaries to the shattered walls 
Which the grim Turk, besmeared with blood, 
Against the Invincible made good ; 
Or that whose thundering voice could wake 
The silence of the polar lake, 90 

When stubborn Russ and metded Swede 
On the warped wave their death -game played ; 
Or that where Vengeance and Affright 
Howled round the father of the fight. 
Who snatched on Alexandria's sand 
The conqueror's wreath with dying hand. 

' Or, if to touch such chord be thine. 
Restore the ancient tragic line. 
And emulate the notes that rung 
From the wild harp which silent hung 100 

By silver Avon's holy shore 
Till twice an hundred years rolled o'er ; 
When she, the bold Enchantress, came, 
With fearless hand and heart on flame. 
From the pale willow snatched the treasure, 
And swept it with a kindred measure, 
Till Avon's swans, while rung the grove 
With Montfort's hate and Basil's love. 
Awakening at the inspired strain, 
Deemed their own Shakespeare lived again.' no 

Thy friendship thus thy judgment wronging 
With praises not to me belonging, 



78 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO THIRD. 

In task more meet for mightiest powers 

Wouldst thou engage my thriftless hours. 

But say, my Erskine, hast thou weighed 

That secret power by all obeyed, 

Which warps not less the passive mind, 

Its source concealed or undefined ; 

Whether an impulse, that has birth 

Soon as the infant wakes on earth, 120 

One with our feelings and our powers, 

And rather part of us than ours ; 

Or whether fitlier termed the sway 

Of habit, formed in early day ? 

Howe'er derived, its force confessed 

Rules with despotic sway the breast, 

And drags us on by viewless chain. 

While taste and reason plead in vain. 

Look east, and ask the Belgian why, 

Beneath Batavia's sultry sky, 130 

He seeks not eager to inhale 

The freshness of the mountain gale. 

Content to rear his whitened wall 

Beside the dank and dull canal? 

He '11 say, from youth he loved to see 

The white sail gliding by the tree. 

Or see yon weather-beaten hind, 

Whose sluggish herds before him wind, 

Whose tattered plaid and rugged cheek 

His northern clime and kindred speak ; 140 

Through England's laughing meads he goes, 

And England's wealth around him flows ; 

Ask if it would content him well. 

At ease in those gay plains to dwell. 

Where hedge-rows spread a verdant screen, 

And spires and forests intervene, 

And the neat cottage peeps between? 



INTRODUCTfON TO CANTO THIRD. 79 

No ! not for these will he exchange 

His dark Lochaber's boundless range, 

Not for fair Devon's meads forsake 150 

Ben Nevis gray and Garry's lake. 

Thus while I ape the measure wild 
Of tales that charmed me yet a child, 
Rude though they be, still with the chime 
Return the thoughts of early time ; 
And feelings, roused in life's first day, 
Glow in the line and prompt the lay. 
Then rise those crags, that mountain tower. 
Which charmed my fancy's wakening hour. 
Though no broad river swept along, 160 

To claim, perchance, heroic song, 
Though sighed no groves in summer gale, 
To prompt of love a softer tale, 
Though scarce a puny streamlet's speed 
Claimed homage from a shepherd's reed. 
Yet was poetic impulse given 
By the green hill and clear blue heaven. 
It was a barren scene and wild, 
Where naked cliffs were rudely piled. 
But ever and anon between tjo 

Lay velvet tufts of loveliest green ; 
And well the lonely infant knew 
Recesses where the wall- flower grew. 
And honeysuckle loved to crawl 
Up the low crag and ruined wall. 
I deemed such nooks the sweetest shade 
The sun in all its round surveyed ; 
And still I thought that shattered tower 
The mightiest work of human power, 
And marvelled as the aged hind 180 

With some strange tale bewitched my mind 



8o INTRODUCTION TO CANTO THIRD. 

Of forayers, who with headlong force 

Down from that strength had spurred their horse. 

Their southern rapine to renew 

Far in the distant Cheviots blue, 

And, home returning, filled the hall 

With revel, wassail-rout, and brawl. 

Methought that still with trump and clang 

The gateway's broken arches rang ; 

Methought grim features, seamed with scars, 

Glared through the window's rusty bars, 

And ever, by the winter hearth. 

Old tales I heard of woe or mirth. 

Of lovers' sleights, of ladies' charms, 

Of witches' spells, of warriors' arms ; 

Of patriot battles, won of old 

By Wallace wight and Bruce the bold ; 

Of later fields of feud and fight. 

When, pouring from their Highland height, 

The Scottish clans in headlong sway 

Had swept the scarlet ranks away. 

While stretched at length upon the floor, 

Again I fought each combat o'er. 

Pebbles and shells, in order laid. 

The mimic ranks of war displayed ; 

And onward still the Scottish Lion bore. 

And still the scattered Southron fled before. 

Still, with vain fondness, could I trace 
Anew each kind familiar face 
That brightened at our evening fire ! 
From the thatched mansion's gray-haired sire, 
Wise without learning, plain and good, 
And sprung of Scotland's gentler blood ; 
Whose eye in age, quick, clear, and keen, 
Showed what in youth its glance had been ; 



IX TROD C/C no A' TO CAXJO TJIJRD. 

Whose doom discording neighbors sought, 
Content with equity unbought ; 
To him the venerable priest, 
Our frequent and fomiHar guest. 
Whose life and manners well could paint 
Alike the student and the saint, 
Alas ! whose speech too oft I broke 
With gambol rude and timeless joke : 
For I was wayward, bold, and wild, 
A self-willed imp, a grandame's child, 
But half a plague, and half a jest, 
Was still endured, beloved, caressed. 

From me, thus nurtured, dost thou ask 
The classic poet's well-conned task? 
Nay, Erskine, nay — on the wild hill 
Let the wild heath-bell flourish still ; 
Cherish the tulip, prune the vine, 
But freely let the woodbine twine, 
And leave untrimmed the eglantine : 
Nay, my friend, nay — since oft thy praise 
Hath given fresh vigor to my lays. 
Since oft thy judgment could refine 
My flattened thought or cumbrous line. 
Still kind, as is thy wont, attend. 
And in the minstrel spare the friend. 
Though wild as cloud, as stream, as gale. 
Flow forth, flow unrestrained, my tale 1 





CANTO THIRD. 



THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 



The livelong day Lord Marmion rode ; 
The mountain path the Palmer showed 
By glen and streamlet winded still, 
Where stunted birches hid the rill. 
They might not choose the lowland road, 
For the Merse forayers were abroad, 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 83 

Who, fired with hate and thirst of prey, 

Had scarcely failed to bar their \va}-. 

Oft on the trampling band from crown 

Of some tall cliff the deer looked down ; 10 

On wing of jet from his repose 

In the deep heath the blackcock rose ; 

Sprung from the gorse the timid roe, 

Nor waited for the bending bow ; 

And when the stony path began 

By which the naked peak they wan. 

Up flew the snowy ptarmigan. 

The noon had long been passed before 

They gained the height of Lammermoor ; 

Thence winding down the northern way, 20 

Before them at the close of day 

Old Gifford's towers and hamlet lay. 



II. 

No summons calls them to the tower. 
To spend the hospitable hour. 
To Scotland's camp the lord was gone : 
His cautious dame, in bower alone. 
Dreaded her castle to unclose, 
So late, to unknown friends or foes. 
On through the hamlet as they paced. 
Before a porch whose front was graced 
With bush and flagon trimly placed, 

Lord Marmion drew his rein : 
The \illage inn seemed large, though rude 
Its cheerful fire and hearty food 
Might well relieve his train. 
Down from their seats the horsemen sprung, 
With jingling spurs the court-yard rung ; 
They bind their horses to the stall. 



84 AIARMION. CANTO in. 

For forage, food, and firing call, 

And various clamor fills the hall : 4c 

Weighing the labor with the cost. 

Toils everywhere the. bustling host. 



III. 

Soon, by the chimney's merry blaze, 
Through the rude hostel might you gaze, 
Might see where in dark nook aloof 
The rafters of the sooty roof 

Bore wealth of winter cheer ; 
Of sea-fowl dried, and solands store, 
And gammons of the tusky boar, 

And savory haunch of deer. 50 

The chimney arch projected wide ; 
Above, around it, and beside, 

Were tools for housewives' hand ; 
Nor wanted, in that martial day. 
The implements of Scottish fray. 

The buckler, lance, and brand. 
Beneath its shade, the place of state. 
On oaken settle Marmion sate. 
And viewed around the blazing hearth 
His followers mix in noisy mirth ; 60 

Whom with brown ale, in jolly tide, 
From ancient vessels ranged aside, . 
Full actively their host supplied. 



IV. 

Theirs was the glee of martial breast. 
And laughter theirs at litde jest ; 
And oft Lord Marmion deigned to aid. 
And mingle in the mirth they made \ 



CANTO III. 



THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 85 

For though, with men of high degree, 

The proudest of the proud was he, 

Yet, trained in camps, he knew the art 70 

To win the soldier's hardy heart. 

They love a captain to obey. 

Boisterous as March, yet fresh as May ; 

With open hand and brow as free. 

Lover of wine and minstrelsy ; 

Ever the first to scale a tower, 

As venturous in a lady's bower : — 

Such buxom chief shall lead his host 

From India's fires to Zembla's frost. 



Resting upon his pilgrim staff, 80 

Right opposite the Palmer stood. 
His thin dark visage seen but half. 

Half hidden by his hood. 
Still fixed on Marmion was liis look. 
Which he, who ill such gaze could brook. 

Strove by a frown to quell ; 
But not for that, though more than once 
Full met their stern encountering glance, 

The Palmer's visage fell. 

VI. 

By fits less frequent from the crowd 90 

Was heard the burst of laughter loud ; 
For still, as squire and archer stared 
On that dark face and matted beard. 

Their glee and game declined. 
All gazed at length in silence drear, 
Unbroke save when in comrade's ear 
Some yeoman, wondering in his fear. 



86 MARMION. CANTO III. 

Thus whispered forth his mind : 
* Saint Mary ! saw'st thou e'er such sight ? 
How pale his cheek, his eye how bright, loo 

Whene'er the firebrand's fickle light 

Glances beneath his cowl ! 
Full on our lord he sets his eye ; 
For his best palfrey would not I 

Endure that sullen scowl.' 



VII. 

But Marmion, as to chase the awe 

Which thus had quelled their hearts who saw 

The ever-varying firelight show 

That figure stern and face of woe, 

Now called upon a squire : 
* Fitz- Eustace, know'st thou not some lay, 
To speed the hngering night away? 

We slumber by the fire.' 



VIII. 

'So please you,' thus the youth rejoined, 
* Our choicest minstrel 's left behind. 
Ill may we hope to please your ear, 
Accustomed Constant's strains to hear. 
The harp full deftly can he strike, 
And wake the lover's lute alike ; 
To dear Saint Valentine no thrush 
Sings livelier from a springtide bush. 
No nightingale her lovelorn tune 
More sweetly warbles to the moon. 
Woe to the cause, whate'er it be. 
Detains from us his melody. 



CANTO III. 



THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 



87 




" On Lowland plains 



Lavished on rocks and billows stern, 
Or duller monks of Lindisfarne. 
Now must I venture as I may, 
To sing his favorite roundelay.' 



IX. 

A mellow voice Fitz-Eustace had, 
The air he chose was wild and sad ; 
Such have I heard in Scottish land 
Rise from the busy harvest band. 
When falls before the mountaineer 
On Lowland plains the ripened ear. 



88 MARMION. CANTO III 

Now one shrill voice the notes prolong, 

Now a wild chorus swells the song : 

Oft have I listened and stood still 

As it came softened up the hill, 

And deemed it the lament of men mo 

Who languished for their native glen, 

And thought how sad would be such sound 

On Susquehanna's swampy ground, 

Kentucky's wood-encumbered brake, 

Or wild Ontario's boundless lake, 

Where heart-sick exiles in the strain 

Recalled fair Scotland's hills again ! 



X. 

SONG. 

Where shall the lover rest. 

Whom the fates sever 
From his true maiden's breast, 150 

Parted forever? 
Where, through groves deep and high. 

Sounds the far billow. 
Where early violets die. 

Under the willow. 

CHORUS. 

Eleu loro, etc. Soft shall be his pillow. 



There, through the summer day. 

Cool streams are laving ; 
There, while the tempests sway. 

Scarce are boughs waving ; 160 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN, 

There thy rest shalt thou take, 

Parted forever. 
Never again to wake, 

Never, O never ! 

CHORUS. 

Eleu loro, etc. Never, O never ! 



XI. 

Where shall the traitor rest, 

He the deceiver, 
Who could win maiden's breast, 

Ruin and leave her? 
In the lost battle, 

Borne down by the flying, 
Where mingles war's rattle 

With groans of the dying. 

CHORUS. 

Eleu loro, etc. There shall he be lying. 



Her wing shall the eagle flap 

O'er the false-hearted ; 
His warm blood the wolf shall lap, 

Ere life be parted. 
Shame and dishonor sit 

By his grave ever ; 
Blessing shall hallow it, — 

Never, O never ! 

CHORUS. 

Eleu loro, etc. Ne\'er, O never ! 



9° MARMION. CANTO III. 



XII. 
It ceased, the melancholy sound, 
And silence sunk on all around. 
The air was sad ; but sadder still 

It fell on Marmion's ear, 
And plained as if disgrace and ill, 

And shameful death, were near. 
He drew his mantle past his face, 

Between it and the band, 
And rested with his head a space 

Reclining on his hand. 
His thoughts I scan not ; but I ween 
That, could their import have been seen. 
The meanest groom in all the hall, 
That e'^r tied courser to a stall, 
Would scarce have wished to be their prey, 
For Lutterward and Fontenaye. 



XIII. 

High minds, of native pride and force, 
Most deeply feel thy pangs, Remorse ! 
Fear for their scourge mean villains have. 
Thou art the torturer of the brave ! 
Yet fatal strength they boast to steel 
Their minds to bear the wounds they feel, 
Even while they writhe beneath the smart 
Of civil conflict in the heart. 
For soon Lord Marmion raised his head. 
And smihng to Fitz- Eustace said : 
' Is it not strange that, as ye sung. 
Seemed in mine ear a death-peal rung, 
Such as in nunneries they toll 
For some departing sister's soul ? 



CANTO lu. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 91 

Say, what may this portend ? ' 
Then first the Pahiier silence broke, — 
The livelong day he had not spoke, — 

' The death of a dear friend.' 



XIV. 

Marmion, wliose steady heart and eye 

Ne'er changed in worst extremity, 

Marmion, whose soul could scantly brook 220 

Even from his king a haughty look, 

Whose accent of command controlled 

In camps the boldest of the bold — 

Thought, look, and utterance failed him now, 

Fallen was liis glance and flushed his brow; 

For either in the tone. 
Or something in the Palmer's look,. 
So full upon his conscience strook 

That answer he found none. 
Thus oft it haps that when within 230 

They shrink at sense of secret sin, 

A feather daunts the l)rave ; 
A fool's wild speech confounds the wise, 
And proudest princes vail their eyes 

Before their meanest slave. 



XV. 

Well might lie falter I — P)y his aid 

Was Constance Beverley betrayed. 

Not that he augured of the doom 

Which on the living closed the tomb : 

But, tired to hear the desperate maid 240 

Threaten by turns, beseech, upbraid, 



92 MARMION. CANTO III. 

And wroth because in wild despair 

She practised on the life of Clare, 

Its fugitive the Church he gave, 

Though not a victim, but a slave. 

And deemed restraint in convent strange 

Would hide her wrongs and her revenge. 

Himself, proud Henry's favorite peer. 

Held Romish thunders idle fear ; 

Secure his pardon he might hold 250 

For some slight mulct of penance-gold. 

Thus judging, he gave secret way 

When the stern priests surprised their prey. 

His train but deemed the favorite page 

Was left behind to spare his age ; 

Or other if they deemed, none dared 

To mutter what he thought and heard : 

Woe to the vassal who durst pry 

Into Lord Marmion's privacy ! 



XVI. 

•His conscience slept — he deemed her well, 260 

And safe secured in distant cell ; 
But, wakened by her favorite lay. 
And that strange Palmer's boding say 
That fell so ominous and drear 
Full on the object of his fear. 
To aid remorse's venomed throes. 
Dark tales of con vent- vengeance rose ; 
And Constance, late betrayed and scorned, 
All lovely on his soul returned ; 
Lovely as when at treacherous call 270 

She left her convent's peaceful wall, 



CANTO III. TflE HOSTEL, OR IiYN. 93 

Crimsoned with shame, with terror mute, 
Dreading alike escape, pursuit, 
Till love, victorious o'er alarms, 
Hid fears and blushes in his arms. 



XVII. 

' Alas ! ' he thought, ' how changed that mien ! 

How changed these timid looks have been, 

Since years of guilt and of disguise 

Have steeled her brow and armed her eyes I 

No more of virgin terror speaks 280 

The blood that mantles in her cheeks ; 

Fierce and unfeminine are there. 

Frenzy for joy, for grief despair ; 

And I the cause — for whom were given 

Her peace on earth, her hopes in heaven ! — 

Would,' thought he, as the picture grows, 

* I on its stalk had left the rose ! 

Oh, why should man's success remove 

The very charms that wake his love ? — 

Her convent's peaceful solitude 290 

Is now a prison harsh and rude ; 

And, pent within the narrow cell. 

How will her spirit chafe and swell ! 

How brook the stern monastic laws ! 

The penance how — and I the cause I — 

Vigil and scourge — ])erchance even worse ! ' — 

And twice he rose to cry, * To horse ! ' 

And twice his sovereign's mandate came. 

Like damp upon a kindling flame ; 

And twice he thought, ' Gave I not charge 300 

She should be safe, though not at large? 

They durst not, for their island, shred 

One golden ringlet from her head.' 



94 



MARMION. 



CANTO in. 



XVIII. 

While thus in Marmion's bosom strove 

Repentance and reviving love, 

Like whirlwinds whose contending sway 




LOCH VENNACHAR. 



I 've seen Loch Vennachar obey, 

Their host the Palmer's speech had heard, 

And talkative took up the word : 

* Ay, reverend pilgrim, you who stray 

From Scotland's simple land away, 
To visit realms afar, 

Full often learn the art to know 

Of future weal or future woe, 
By word, or sign, or star ; 
Yet might a knight his fortune hear, 



310 



CANTO III. ^J'HE HOSTEL, OR INN. 95 

If, knight-like, he despises fear, 

Not far from hence ; — if fathers old 

Aright our hamlet legend told.' 

These broken words the menials move, — 320 

For marvels still the vulgar love, — 

And, Marmion giving license cold, 

His tale the host thus gladly told : — 

XIX. 

THE host's tale. 

' A clerk could tell what years have flown 

Since Alexander filled our throne, — 

Third monarch of that warlike name, — 

And eke the time when here he came 

To seek Sir Hugo, then our lord : 

A braver never drew a sword ; 

A wiser never, at the hour 330 

Of midnight, si)oke the word of power ; 

The same whom ancient records call 

The founder of the Goblin-Hall. 

I would, Sir Knight, your longer stay 

Gave you that cavern to survey. 

Of lofty roof and ample size. 

Beneath the castle deep it lies : 

To hew the living rock profound, 

The floor to pave, the arch to round, 

There never toiled a mortal arm, 340 

It all was wrought by word and charm ; 

And I have heard my grandsire say 

That the wild clamor and affray 

Of those dread artisans of hell. 

Who labored under Hugo's spell. 

Sounded as loud as ocean's war 

Among the caverns of Dunbar. 



96 MAR MI ON. CANTO III. 



XX. 

'The king Lord Gifford's castle sought, 

Deep laboring with uncertain thought. 

Even then he mustered all his host, 35° 

To meet upon the western coast ; 

For Norse and Danish galleys plied 

Their oars within the Firth of Clyde. 

There floated Haco's banner trim 

Above Norweyan warriors grim, 

Savage of heart and large of limb, 

Threatening both continent and isle, 

Bute, x\rran, Cunninghame, and Kyle. 

Lord Gifford, deep beneath the ground, 

Heard Alexander's bugle sound, 360 

And tarried not his garb to change, 

But, in his wizard habit strange. 

Came forth, — a quaint and fearful sight : 

His mantle lined with fox-skins white ; 

His high and wrinkled forehead bore 

k pointed cap, such as of yore 

Clerks say that Pharaoh's Magi wore ; 

His shoes were marked with cross and spell, 

Upon his breast a pentacle ; 

His zone of virgin parchment thin, 37® 

Or, as some tell, of dead man's skin. 

Bore many a planetary sign. 

Combust, and retrograde, and trine ; 

And in his hand he held prepared 

A naked sword without a guard. 

XXI. 

' Dire dealings with the fiendish race 
Had marked strange lines upon his face ; 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 97 

Vigil and fast had worn him grim, 

His eyesight dazzled seemed and dim, 

As one unused to upper day ; 380 

Even his own menials with dismay 

Beheld, Sir Knight, the grisly sire 

In this unwonted wild attire ; 

Unwonted, for traditions run 

He seldom thus beheld the sun. 

" I know," he said, — his voice was hoarse. 

And broken seemed its hollow force, — 

" I know the cause, although untold, 

Why the king seeks his vassal's hold : 

Vainly from me my liege would know 390 

His kingdom's future weal or woe ; 

But yet, if strong his arm and heart. 

His courage may do more than art. 



XXII. 

' " Of middle air the demons proud. 
Who ride upon the racking cloud, 
Can read in fixed or wandering star 
The issue of events afar. 
But still their sullen aid withhold, 
Save when by mightier force controlled. 
Such late I summoned to my hall ; 
And though so potent was the call 
That scarce the deepest nook of hell 
I deemed a refuge from the spell, 
Yet, obstinate in silence still, 
The haughty demon mocks my skill. 
But thou, — who little know'st thy might 
As born upon that blessed night 
When yawning graves and dying groan 
Proclaimed hell's empire overthrown, — 
7 



gS MARMION. CANTO ill. 

With untaught valor shalt compel 410 

Response denied to magic spell." 

" Gramercy," quoth our monarch free, 

"• Place him but front to front with me, 

And, by this good and honored brand, 

The gift of Coeur-de-Lion's hand, 

Soothly I swear that, tide what tide, 

The demon shall a buffet bide." 

His bearing bold the wizard viewed, 

And thus, well pleased, his speech renewed : 

" There spoke the blood of Malcolm ! — mark : 420 

Forth pacing hence at midnight dark, 

The rampart seek whose circling crown 

Crests the ascent of yonder down : 

A southern entrance shalt thou find ; 

There halt, and there thy bugle wind, 

And trust thine elfin foe to see 

In guise of thy worst enemy. 

Couch then thy lance and spur thy steed — 

Upon him ! and Saint George to speed ! 

If he go down, thou soon shalt know 43c 

Whate'er these airy sprites can show ; 

If thy heart fail thee in the strife, 

I am no warrant for thy life." 



XXIII. 

' Soon as the midnight bell did ring, 
Alone and armed, forth rode the king 
To that old camp's deserted round. 
Sir Knight, you well might mark the mound 
Left hand the town, — the Pictish race 
The trench, long since, in blood did trace ; 
The moor around is brown and bare, 
The space within is green and fair. 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 99 

The spot our village children know, 

For there the earliest wild- flowers grow ; 

But woe betide the wandering wight 

That treads its circle in the night ! 

The breadth across, a bowshot clear, 

Gives ample space for full career ; 

Opposed to the four points of heaven, 

By four deep gaps are entrance given. 

The southernmost our monarch passed, 45'^ 

Halted, and blew a gallant blast ; 

And on the north, within the ring, 

Appeared the form of E^ngland's king, 

Who then, a thousand leagues afar, 

In Palestine waged holy war : 

Yet arms like England's did he wield ; 

Alike the leopards in the shield. 

Alike his Syrian courser's frame. 

The rider's length of limb the same. ■ 

Long afterwards did Scotland know 460 

Fell Edward was her deadliest foe. 



XXIV. 

* The vision made our monarch start, 
But soon he manned his noble heart, 
And in the first career they ran. 
The Elfin Knight fell, horse and man ; 
Yet did a splinter of his lance 
Through Alexander's visor glance. 
And razed the skin — a puny wound. 
The king, light leaping to the ground, 
With naked blade his phantom foe 
Compelled the future war to show. 
Of Largs he saw the glorious plain, 
Where still gigantic bones remain. 



lOO MARMION. CANTO III. 

Memorial of the Danish war ; 
Himself he saw, amid the field, 
On high his brandished war-axe wield 

And strike proud Haco from his car, 
While all around the shadowy kings 
Denmark's grim ravens cowered their wings. 

'T is said that m that awful night 480 

Remoter visions met his sight, 

Foreshowing future conquest far, 

When our sons' sons wage Northern war ; 

A royal city, tower and spire. 

Reddened the midnight sky with fire, 

And shouting crews her navy bore 

Triumphant to the victor shore. 

Such signs may learned clerks explain, 

They pass the wit of simple swain. 



XXV. 

' The joyful king turned home again, 490 

Headed his host, and quelled the Dane ; 
But yearly, when returned the night 
Of his strange combat with the sprite, 

His wound must bleed and smart ; 
Lord Gifford then would gibing say, 
" Bold as ye were, my liege, ye pay 

The penance of your start." 
Long since, beneath Dunfermline's nave, 
King Alexander fills his grave, 

Our Lady give him rest ! 5«» 

Yet still the knightly spear and shield 
The Elfin Warrior doth wield 

Upon the brown hill's breast, 
And many a knight hath proved his chance 
In the charmed ring to break a lance, 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. lOi 

But all have foully sped ; 
Save two, as legends tell, and they 
Were Wallace wight and Gilbert Hay. — 

Gentles, my tale is said.' 

XXVI. 

The quaighs were deep, the liquor strong, 510 

And on the tale the yeoman-throng 
Had made a comment sage and long, 

But Marmion gave a sign : 
And with their lord the squires retire, 
The rest around the hostel fire 

Their drowsy limbs recline ; 
For pillow, underneath each head, 
The quiver and the targe were laid. 
Deep slumbering on the hostel floor, 
Oppressed with toil and ale, they snore ; 520 

The dying flame, in fitful change, 
Threw on the group its shadows strange. 

XXVII. 

Apart, and nestling in the hay 

Of a waste loft, Fitz- Eustace lay ; 

Scarce by the pale moonlight were seen 

The foldings of his mantle green : 

Lightly he dreamt, as youth will dream, 

Of sport by thicket, or by stream. 

Of hawk or hound, or ring or glove, 

Or, lighter yet, of lady's love. 530 

A cautious tread his slumber broke, 

And, close beside him when he woke, 

In moonbeam half, and half in gloom, 

Stood a tall form with nodding plume ; 

But, ere his dagger Eustace drew, 

His master Marmion's voice he knew : 



102 MARMION. CANTO III. 



XXVIII. 

' Fitz-Eustace ! rise, — I cannot rest ; 
Yon churl's wild legend haunts my breast, 
And graver thoughts have chafed my mood ; 
The air must cool my feverish blood, 
And fain would I ride forth to see 
The scene of elfin chivalry. 
Arise, and saddle me my steed ; 
And, gentle Eustace, take good heed 
Thou dost not rouse these drowsy slaves ; 
I would not that the prating knaves 
Had cause for saying, o'er their ale, 
That I could credit such a tale.' 
Then softly down the steps they slid, 
Eustace the stable door undid, 
And, darkling, Marmion's steed arrayed, 
While, whispering, thus the baron said : — 



XXIX. 

' Didst never, good my youth, hear tell 

That on the hour when I was born 
Saint George, who graced my sire's chapelle, 
Down from his steed of marble fell, 

A weary wight forlorn? 
The flattering chaplains all agree 
The champion left his steed to me. 
I would, the omen's truth to show, 560 

That I could meet this elfin foe ! 
Blithe would I battle for the right 
To ask one question at the sprite. — 
Vain thought ! for elves, if elves there be, 
An empty race, by fount or sea 



V^ 



CANTO III. THE HOSTEL, OR INN. 1 03 

To dashing waters dance and sing, 
Or round the green oak wheel their ring.' 
Thus speaking, he his steed bestrode, 
And from tjie hostel slowly rode. 



XXX. 

Fitz-Eustace followed him abroad, 570 

And marked him pace the village road. 

And listened to his horse's tramp. 
Till, by the lessening sound, 

He judged that of the Pictish camp 
Lord Marmion sought the round. 
Wonder it seemed, in the squire's eyes, 
That one, so wary held and wise, — 
Of whom 't was said, he scarce received 
For gospel what the Church believed, — 

Should, stirred by idle tale, 580 

Ride forth in silence of the night, 
As hoping half to meet a sprite. 

Arrayed in plate and mail. 
For. little did Fitz-Eustace know 
That passions in contending flow 

Unfix the strongest mind ; 
Wearied from doubt to doubt to flee. 
We welcome fond credulity, 

Guide confident, though blind. 



XXXI. 

Little for this Fitz-Eustace cared, 590 

But patient waited till he heard 

At distance, pricked to utmost ..peed, 

The foot-tramp of a flying steed 



I04 MAR M ION. CANTO iii. 

Come townward rushing on ; 
First, dead, as if on turf it trode. 
Then, clattering on the village road, — 
In other pace than forth he yode, 

Returned Lord Marmion. 
Down hastily he sprung from selle, 
And in his haste wellnigh he fell ; 600 

To the squire's hand the rein he threw, 
And spoke no word as he withdrew : 
But yet the moonlight did betray 
The falcon- crest was soiled with clay ; 
And plainly might Fitz-Eustace see, 
By stains upon the charger's knee 
And his left side, that on the moor 
He had not kept his footing sure. 
Long musing on these wondrous signs, 
At length to rest the squire reclines, 
Broken and short ; for still between 
Would dreams of terror intervene : 
Eustace did ne'er so blithely mark 
The first notes of the morning lark. 





INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 



To JAMES SKENE, ESQ. 



Ashesfiel, Et trick Forest. 

An ancient Minstrel sagely said, 

' Where is the life which late we led ? ' 

That motley clown in Arden wood, 

Whom humorous Jaques with envy viewed. 

Not even that clown could amplify 

On this trite text so long as I. 

Eleven years we now may tell 

Since we have known each other well, 

Since, riding side by side, our hand 

First drew the voluntary brand ; 

And sure, througli many a varied scene, 

Unkindness never came between. 

Away these winged years have flown, 

To join the mass of ages gone ; 



Io6 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 

And though deep marked, like all below, 
With checkered shades of joy and woe, 
Though thou o'er realms and seas hast ranged, 
Marked cities lost and empires changed. 
While here at home my narrower ken 
Somewhat of manners saw and men ; 
Though varying wishes, hopes, and fears 
Fevered the progress of these years, 
Yet now, days, weeks, and months but seem 
The recollection of a dream. 
So still we glide down to the sea 
Of fathomless eternity. 

Even now it scarcely seems a day 
Since first I tuned this idle lay ; 
A task so often thrown aside. 
When leisure graver cares denied, 
That now November's dreary gale, 
Whose voice inspired my opening tale, 
That same November gale once more 
Whirls the dry leaves on Yarrow shore. 
Their vexed boughs streaming to the sky. 
Once more our naked birches sigh, 
And Blackhouse heights and Ettrick Pen 
Have donned their wintry shrouds again. 
And mountain dark and flooded mead 
Bid us forsake the banks of Tweed. 
Earlier than wont along the sky. 
Mixed with the rack, the snow mists fly ; 
The shepherd who, in summer sun. 
Had something of our envy won, 
As thou with pencil, I with pen, 
The features traced of hill and glen, — 
He who, outstretched the livelong day, 
At ease among the heath-flowers lay, 



IN'rRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 107 

Viewed the light clouds with vacant look, 

Or slumbered o'er his tattered book, 50 

Or idly busied him to guide 

His angle o'er the lessened tide, — 

At midnight now the snowy plain 

Finds sterner labor for the swain. 

\\'hen red hath set the beamless sun 
Through heavy vapors dank and dun, 
When the tired ploughman, dry and warm, 
Hears, half asleep, the rising storm 
Hurling the hail and sleeted rain 
Against the casement's tinkling pane ; 60 

The sounds that drive wild deer and fox 
To shelter in the brake and rocks 
Are warnings which the shepherd ask 
To dismal and to dangerous task. 
Oft he looks forth, and hopes, in vain, 
The blast may sink in mellowing rain ; 
Till, dark above and white below, 
Decided drives the flaky snow, 
And forth the hardy swain must go. 
Long, with dejected look and whine, • 7^ 

To leave the hearth his dogs repine ; 
Whistling and cheering them to aid, 
Around his back he wreathes the plaid : 
His flock he gathers and he guides 
To open downs and mountain-sides. 
Where fiercest though the tempest blow, 
Least deeply lies the drift below. 
The blast that whistles o'er the fells 
Stiffens his locks to icicles ; 

Oft he looks back while, streaming far, 80 

His cottage window seems a star, - 
Loses its feeble gleam, — and then 



io8 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 

Turns patient to the blast again, 

And, facing to the tempest's sweep. 

Drives through the gloom his lagging sheep. 

If fails his heart, if his limbs fail. 

Benumbing death is in the gale ; 

His paths, his landmarks, all unknown, 

Close to the hut, no more his own. 

Close to the aid he sought in vain, 90 

The morn may find the stiffened swain : 

The widow sees, at dawning pale. 

His orphans raise their feeble wail ; 

And, close beside him in the snow, 

Poor Yarrow, partner of their woe. 

Couches upon his master's breast, 

And licks his cheek to break his rest. 

Who envies now the shepherd's lot. 
His healthy fare, his rural cot. 

His summer couch by greenwood tree, iw 

His rustic kirn's loud revelry. 
His native hill-notes tuned on high 
To Marion of the blithesome eye, • 

His crook, his scrip, his oaten reed, 
And all Arcadia's golden creed ? 

Changes not so with us, my Skene, 
Of human life the varying scene ? 
Our youthful summer oft we see 
Dance by on wings of game and glee. 
While the dark storm reserves its rage "o 

Against the winter of our age ; 
As he, the ancient chief of Troy, 
His manhood spent in peace and joy, 
But Grecian fires and loud alarms 



INTRO DCCTION TO CAX'TO FOURTH. 109 

Called ancient Priam forth to arms. 

Then happy those, since each must drain 

His share of pleasure, share of pain, — 

Then happy those, beloved of Heaven, 

To whom the mingled cup is given ; 

Whose lenient sorrows find relief, uo 

Whose joys are chastened by their grief. 

And such a lot, my Skene, was thine. 

When thou of late wert doomed to twine — 

Just when thy bridal hour was by — 

The cypress with the myrtle tie. 

Just on thy bride her sire had smiled, 

And blessed the union of his child, 

When love must change its joyous cheer, 

And wipe affection's filial tear. 

Nor did the actions next his end 13d 

Speak more the father than the friend : 

Scarce had lamented Forbes paid 

The tribute to his minstrel's shade, 

The tale of friendship scarce was told, 

Ere the narrator's heart was cold — 

Far may we search before we find 

A heart so manly and so kind ! 

But not around his honored urn ■ 

Shall friends alone and kindred mourn ; 

The thousand eyes his care had dried 140 

Pour at his name a bitter tide. 

And frequent falls the grateful dew 

For benefits the world ne'er knew. 

If mortal charity dare claim 

The Almighty's attributed name. 

Inscribe above his mouldering clay, 

' The widow's shield, the orphan's stay.' 

Nor, though it wake thy sorrow, deem 

My verse intrudes on this sad theme, 



no INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 

For sacred was the pen that wrote, 150 

' Thy father's friend forget thou not ; ' 

And grateful title may I plead, 

For many a kindly word and deed, 

To bring my tribute to his grave : — 

'T is little —but 't is all I have. 



To thee, perchance, this rambling strain 
Recalls our summer walks again ; 
When, doing nought, — and, to speak true, 
Not anxious to find aught to do, — 
The wild unbounded hills we ranged, 160 

While oft our talk its topic changed. 
And, desultory as our way. 
Ranged unconfined from grave to gay. 
Even when it flagged, as oft will chance, 
No effort made to break its trance, 
We could right pleasantly pursue 
Our sports in social silence too ; 
Thou gravely laboring to portray 
The blighted oak's fantastic spray, 
I spelling o'er with much delight 170 

The legend of that antique knight, 
Tirante by name, ycleped the White. 
At cither's feet a trusty squire, 
Pandour and Camp, with eyes of fire, 
Jealous each other's motions viewed, 
And scarce suppressed their ancient feud. 
The laverock whistled from the cloud ; 
The stream was lively, but not loud ; 
From the white thorn the May-flower shed 
Its dewy fragrance round our head : 180 

Not Ariel lived more merrily 
Under the blossomed bough than we. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. m 

And blithesome nights, too, have been ours, 
When Winter stript the Summer's bowers. 
Careless we heard, what now I hear, 
The wild blast sighing deep and drear, 
When fires were bright and lamps beamed gay, 
And ladies tuned the lovely lay, 
And he was held a laggard soul 
Who shunned to quaff the sparkling bowl. tgo 

Then he whose absence we deplore, 
Who breathes the gales of Devon's shore. 
The longer missed, bewailed the more, 
And thou, and I, and dear-loved Rae, 
And one whose name I may not say, — 
For not mimosa's tender tree 
Shrinks sooner from the touch than he, — 
In merry chorus well combined. 
With laughter drowned the whistling wind. 
Mirth was within, and Care without 200 

Might gnaw her nails to hear our shout. 
Not but amid the buxom scene 
Some grave discourse might intervene — 
Of the good horse that bore him best. 
His shoulder, hoof, and arching crest ; 
For, like mad Tom's, our chiefest care 
Was horse to ride and weapon wear. 
Such nights we 've had ; and, though the game 
Of manhood be more sober tame. 
And though the field-day or the drill mo 

Seem less important now, yet still 
Such may we hope to share again. 
The sprightly thought inspires my strain ! 
And mark how, like a horseman true. 
Lord Marmion's march I thus renew. 




CANTO FOURTH. 
THE CAMP. 



Eustace, I said, did blithely mark 
The first notes of the merry lark. 
The lark sang shrill, the cock he crew, 
And loudly Marmion's bugles blew, 
And with their light and lively call 
Brought groom and yeoman to the stall. 
Whisding they came and free of heart, 

But soon their mood was changed ; 
Complaint was heard on every part 

Of something disarranged. 
Some clamored loud for armor lost ; 
Some brawled and wrangled with the host 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. II3 

' By Becket's bones,' cried one, ' I fear 

That some false Scot has stolen my spear ! ' 

Young Blount, Lord Marmion's second squire. 

Found his steed wet with sweat and mire. 

Although the rated horseboy sware 

Last night he dressed him sleek and fair. 

While chafed the impatient squire like thunder, 

Old Hubert shouts, in fear and wonder, — 20 

' Help, gende Blount ! help, comrades all ! 

Bevis lies dying in his stall ; 

To Marmion who the plight dare tell 

Of the good steed he loves so well ? ' 

Gaping for fear and ruth, they saw 

The charger panting on his straw ; 

Till one, who would seem wisest, cried, 

' What else but evil could betide, 

With that cursed Palmer for our guide ? 

Better we had through mire and bush 30 

Been lantern-led by Friar Rush.' 



II. 

Fitz- Eustace, who the cause but guessed, 

Nor wholly understood, 
His comrades' clamorous plaints suppressed ; 

He knew Lord Marmion's mood. 
Him, ere he issued forth, he sought, 
And found deep plunged in gloomy thought, 

And did his tale display 
Simply, as if he knew of nought 

To cause such disarray. 
Lord Marmion gave attention cold, 
Nor marvelled at the wonders told, — 
Passed them as accidents of course. 
And bade his clarions sound to horse. 
8 



114 . MAR MI ON. CANTO IV. 



III. 
Young Henry Blount, meanwhile, the cost 
Had reckoned with their Scottish host ; 
And, as the charge he cast and paid, 
' 111 thou deserv'st thy hire,' he said ; 
' Dost see, thou knave, my horse's plight? 
Fairies have ridden him all the night, so 

And left him in a foam ! 
I trust that soon a conjuring band. 
With English cross and blazing brand, 
Shall drive the devils from this land 

To their infernal home ; 
For in this haunted den, I trow. 
All night they trampled to and fro.' 
The laughing host looked on the hire : 
' Gramercy, gentle southern squire, 
And if thou com'st among the rest, 60 

With Scottish broadsword to be blest, 
Sharp be the brand, and sure the blow. 
And short the pang to undergo.' 
Here stayed their talk, for Marmion 
Gave now the signal to set on. 
The Palmer showing forth the way, 
They journeyed all the morning-day. 



IV. 

The greensward way was smooth and good, 
Through Humbie's and through Saltoun's wood ; 
A forest glade, which, varying still, 70 

Here gave a view of dale and hill. 
There narrower closed till overhead 
A vaulted screen the branches made. 
'A pleasant path,' Fitz-Eustace said ; 



THE CAMP. 115 

' Such as where errant-knights might see 

Adventures of high chivalry, 

Might meet some damsel flying fast, 

With hair unbound and looks aghast ; 

And smooth and level course were here, 

In her defence to break a spear. 80 

Here, too, are twilight nooks and dells ; 

And oft in such, the story tells, 

The damsel kind, from danger freed, 

Did grateful pay her champion's meed.' 

He spoke to cheer Lord Marmion's mind, 

Perchance to show his lore designed ; 

For Eustace much had pored 
Upon a huge romantic tome. 
In the hall-window of his home, 
Imprinted at the antique dome 90 

Of Caxton or de Worde. 
Therefore he spoke, — but spoke in vain, 
For Marmion answered nought again. 



V. 



Now sudden, distant trumpets shrill. 
In notes prolonged by wood and hill. 

Were heard to echo far ; 
Each ready archer grasped his bow. 
But by the flourish soon they know 

They breathed no point of war. 
Yet cautious, as in foeman's land, 
Lord Marmion's order speeds the band 

Some opener ground to gain ; 
And scarce a furlong had they rode. 
When thinner trees receding showed 

A little woodland plain. 



Ii6 MARMION. CANTO IV. 

Just in that advantageous glade 
The halting troop a line had made, 
As forth from the opposing shade 
Issued a gallant train. 



VI. 

First came the trumpets, at whose clang 

So late the forest echoes rang ; 

On prancing steeds they forward pressed, 

With scarlet mantle, azure vest ; 

Each at his trump a banner wore. 

Which Scotland's royal scutcheon bore : 

Heralds and pursuivants, by name 

Bute, Islay, Marchmount, Rothsay, came. 

In painted tabards, proudly showing 

Gules, argent, or, and azure glowing, 

Attendant on a king-at-arms. 
Whose hand the armorial truncheon held 
That feudal strife had often quelled 

When wildest its alarms. 



VII. 

He was a man of middle age. 
In aspect manly, grave, and sage, 

As on king's errand come ; 
But in the glances of his eye 
A penetrating, keen, and sly 

Expression found its home ; 
The flash of that satiric rage 130 

Which, bursting on the early stage, 
Branded the vices of the age, 

And broke the keys of Rome. 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. I17 

On milk-white palfrey forth he paced ; 
His cap of maintenance was graced 

With the proud heron-plume. 
From his steed's shoulder, loin, and breast, 

Silk housings swept the ground, 
With Scotland's arms, device, and crest. 

Embroidered round and round. 140 

The double tressure might you see. 

First by Achaius borne, 
The thistle and the fleur-de-lis. 

And gallant unicorn. 
So bright the king's armorial coat 
That scarce the dazzled eye could note, 
In living colors blazoned brave. 
The Lion, which his title gave ; 
A train, which well beseemed his state. 
But all unarmed, around him wait. 150 

Still is thy name in high account, 
And still thy verse has charms, 

Sir David Lindesay of the Mount, 
Lord Lion King-at-arms ! 

VIII. 

Down from his horse did Marmion spring 

Soon as he saw the Lion- King ; 

For well the stately baron knew 

To him such courtesy was due 

Whom royal James himself had crowned, 

And on his temples placed the round 160 

Of Scotland's ancient diadem, 
And wet his brow with hallowed wine, 
And on his finger given to shine 

The emblematic gem. 
Their mutual greetings duly made, 
The Lion thus his messa.f^e said : — 



ii8 MARMION. CANTO IV. 

'■ Though Scotland's King hath deeply swore 

Ne'er to knit faith with Henry more, 

And strictly hath forbid resort 

From England to his royal court, 170 

Yet, for he knows Lord Marmion's name 

And honors much his warlike fame, 

My liege hath deemed it shame- and lack 

Of courtesy to turn him back ; 

And by his order I, your guide, 

Must lodging fit and fair provide 

Till finds King James meet time to see 

The flower of English chivalry.' 

IX. 

Though inly chafed at this delay, 

Lord Marmion bears it as he may. 180 

The Palmer, his mysterious guide, 

Beholding thus his place supplied, 

Sought to take leave in vain ; 
Strict was the Lion- King's command 
That none who rode in Marmion's band 

Should sever from the train. 
^ England has here enow of spies 
In Lady Heron's witching eyes : ' 
To Marchmount thus apart he said, 
But fair pretext to Marmion made. 190 

The right-hand path they now decline, 
And trace against the stream the Tyne. 



At length up that wild dale they wind, 

Where Crichtoun Castle crowns the bank ; 

For there the Lion's care assigned 
A lodging meet for Marmion's rank. 



CANTO IV. 



THE CAMP. 



119 




CRICHTOUN CASTLE. 



That castle rises on the steep 

Of the green vale of Tyne ; 
And far beneath, where slow they creep 
From pool to eddy, dark and deep. 
Where alders moist and willows weep, 

You hear her streams repine. 
The towers in different ages rose, 
Their various architecture shows 

The builders' various hands ; 
A mighty mass, that could oppose. 
When deadliest hatred fired its foes. 

The vengeful Douglas bands. 



I20 MARMION. CANTO IV. 



XI. 

Crichtoun ! though now thy miry court 

But pens the lazy steer and sheep, 210 

Thy turrets rude and tottered keep 
Have been the minstrel's loved resort. 
Oft have I traced, within thy fort, 

Of mouldering shields the mystic sense, 

Scutcheons of honor or pretence, 
Quartered in old armorial sort, 

Remains of rude magnificence. 
Nor wholly yet hath time defaced 

Thy lordly gallery fair, 
Nor yet the stony cord unbraced 220 

Whose twisted knots, with roses laced, 

Adorn thy ruined stair. 
Still rises unimpaired below 
The court-yard's graceful portico ; 
Above its cornice, row and row 
Of fair hewn facets richly show 

Their pointed diamond form, 
Though there but houseless cattle go. 

To shield them from the storm. 
And, shuddering, still may we explore, 230 

Where oft whilom were captives pent, 
The darkness of thy Massy More, 

Or, from thy grass -grown battlement, 
May trace in undulating line 
The sluggish mazes of the Tyne. 



XII. 

Another aspect Crichtoun showed 
As through its portal Marmion rode ; 
But yet 't was melancholy state 
Received him at the outer gate, 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. 121 

For none were in the castle then 240 

But women, boys, or aged men. 

With eyes scarce dried, the sorrowing dame 

To welcome noble Marmion came ; 

Her son, a stripling twelve years old, 

Proffered the baron's rein to hold ; 

For each man that could draw a sword 

Had marched that morning with their lord, 

Earl Adam Hepburn, — he who died 

On Flodden by his sovereign's side. 

Long may his lady look in vain ! 250 

She ne'er shall see his gallant train 

Come sweeping back through Crichtoun-Dean. 

'T was a brave race before the name 

Of hated Bothwell stained their fame. 



XIII. 

And here two days did Marmion rest, 
With every right that honor claims, 
Attended as the king's own guest ; — 
Such the command of Royal James, 
Who marshalled then his land's array. 
Upon the Borough -moor that lay. 
Perchance he would not foeman's eye 
Upon his gathering host should pry. 
Till full prepared was every band 
To march against the English land. 
Here while they dwelt, did Lindesay's wit 
Oft cheer the baron's moodier fit ; 
And, in his turn, he knew to prize 
Lord Marmion's powerful mind and wise, — 
Trained in the lore of Rome and Greece, 
And policies of war and peace. 



122 MARMION. CANTO IV. 

XIV. 

It chanced, as fell the second night, 

That on the battlements they walked, 
And by the slowly fading light 

Of varying topics talked ; 
And, unaware, the herald-bard 
Said Marmion might his toil have spared 

In travelling so far, 
For that a messenger from heaven 
In vain to James had counsel given 

Against the English war ; 280 

And, closer questioned, thus he told 
A tale which chronicles of old 
In Scottish story have enrolled : — 



XV. 

SIR DAVID LINDESAY'S TALE. 

^ Of all the palaces so fair. 

Built for the royal dwelling 
In Scotland, far beyond compare 

Linlithgow is excelling ; 
And in its park, in jovial June, 
How sweet the merry linnet's tune, 

How blithe the blackbird's lay ! 
The wild buck bells from ferny brake, 
The coot dives merry on the lake. 
The saddest heart might pleasure take 

To see all nature gay. 
But June is to our sovereign dear 
The heaviest month in all the year ; 
Too well his cause of grief you know, 
June saw his father's overthrow. 



CANTO TV. 



THE CAMP. 



23 




Woe to the traitors who could bring 
The princely boy against his king ! 
Still in his conscience burns the sting. 
In offices as strict as Lent 
King James's June is ever spent. 



XVI. 

* When last this ruthful month was come, 
And in Linlithgow's holy dome 

The king, as wont, was praying ; 
While for his royal father's soul 
The chanters sung, the bells did toll, 



124 HARM ION. CANTO iv. 

The bishop mass was saying — 
For now the year brought round again 310 

The day the luckless king was slain — 
In Catherine's aisle the monarch knelt, 
With sackcloth shirt and iron belt, 

And eyes with sorrow streaming ; 
Around him in their stalls of state 
The Thistle's Knight-Companions sate, 

Their banners o'er them beaming. 
I too was there, and, sooth to tell, 
Bedeafened with the jangling knell. 
Was watching where the sunbeams fell, 320 

Through the stained casement gleaming ; 
But while I marked what next befell 

It seemed as I were dreaming. 
Stepped from the crowd a ghostly wight, 
In azure gown, with cincture white ; 
His forehead bald, his head was bare, 
Down hung at length his yellow hair. — 
Now, mock me not when, good my lord, 
I pledge to you my knightly word 
That when I saw his placid grace, 330 

His simple majesty of face. 
His solemn bearing, and his pace 

So stately gliding on, — 
Seemed to me ne'er did limner paint 
So just an image of the saint 
Who propped the Virgin in her faint, 

The loved Apostle John ! 



XVII. 

* He stepped before the monarch's chair, 
And stood with rustic plainness there. 



CANTO IV. 



THE CAMP. 125 

And little reverence made ; s^° 

Nor head, nor body, bowed, nor bent, 
But on the desk his arm he leant. 

And words like these he said, 
In a low voice, — but never tone 
So thrilled through vein, and nerve, and bone : — 
" My mother sent me from afar, 
Sir King, to warn thee not to war, — 

Woe waits on thine array ; 
If war thou wilt, of woman fair. 
Her witching wiles and wanton snare, 35° 

James Stuart, doubly warned, beware : 

God keep thee as he may ! " — 
The wondering monarch seemed to seek 

For answer, and found none ; 
And when he raised his head to speak. 

The monitor was gone. 
The marshal and myself had cast 
To stop him as he outward passed ; 
But, lighter than the whirlwind's blast, 

He vanished from our eyes, 360 

Like sunbeam on the billow cast, 

That glances but, and dies.' 



XVIII. 

While Lindesay told his marvel strange 

The twilight was so pale, 
He marked not Marmion's color change 

While listening to the tale ; 
But, after a suspended pause, 
The baron spoke : * Of Nature's laws 

So strong I held the force. 
That never superhuman cause 37° 

Could e'er control their course, 



126 MARMION. CANTO IV. 

And, three days since, had judged your aim 
Was but to make your guest your game ; 
But I have seen, since past the Tweed, 
What much has changed my sceptic creed, 
And made me credit aught.' — He stayed, 
And seemed to wish his words unsaid, 
But, by that strong emotion pressed 
Which prompts us to unload our breast 

Even when discovery 's pain, 380 

To Lindesay did at length unfold 
The tale his village host had told, 

At Gifford, to his train. 
Nought of the Palmer says he there, 
And nought of Constance or of Clare ; 
The thoughts which broke his sleep he seems 
To mention but as feverish dreams. 



XIX. 

' In vain,' said he, ' to rest I spread 

My burning limbs, and couched my head ; 

Fantastic thoughts returned, 39° 

And, by their wild dominion led, 

My heart within me Imrned. 
So sore was the delirious goad, 
I took my steed and forXh I rode. 
And, as the moon shone bright and cold, 
Soon reached the camp upon the wold. 
The southern entrance I passed through, 
And halted, and my bugle blew. 
Methought an answer met my ear, — 
Yet was the blast so low and drear, 4°° 

So hollow, and so faintly blown, 
It might be echo of my own. 



CANTO IV. 



THE CAMP. 127 



XX. 



' Thus judging, for a little space 
I listened ere I left the place, 

But scarce could trust my eyes, 
Nor yet can think they serve me true, 
When sudden in the ring I view, 
In form distinct of shape and hue, 

A mounted champion rise. — 
I 've fought, Lord- Lion, many a day, 410 

In single fight and mixed affray, 
And ever, I myself may say. 

Have borne me as a knight ; 
But when this unexpected foe 
Seemed starting from the gulf below, — 
I care not though the truth I show, — 

I trembled with affright ; 
And as I placed in rest my spear, 
My hand so shook for very fear, 

I scarce could couch it right. 420 



XXI. 

* Why need my tongue the issue tell? 
We ran our course, — my charger fell ; — 
What could he 'gainst the shock of hell ? 

I rolled upon the plain. 
High o'er my head with threatening hand 
The spectre shook his naked brand, — 

Yet did the worst remain : 
My dazzled eyes I upward cast, — 
Not opening hell itself could blast 

Their sight like what I saw ! 
Full on his face the moonbeam strook ! — 
A face could never be mistook ! 



128 M ARM ION. 



CANTO IV. 



I knew the stern vindictive look, , 

And held my breath for awe. 
I saw the face of one who, fled 
To foreign climes, has long been dead, — 

I well believe the last ; 
For ne'er from visor raised did stare 
A human warrior with a glare 

So grimly and so ghast. 440 

Thrice o'er my head he shook the blade ; 
But when to good Saint George I prayed, — 
The first time e'er I asked his aid, — 

He plunged it in the sheath, 
And, on his courser mounting hght, 
He seemed to vanish from my sight : 
The moonbeam drooped, and deepest night 

Sunk down upon the heath. — 
'T were long to tell what cause I have 

To know his face that met me there, 450 

Called by his hatred from the grave 

To cumber upper air ; 
Dead or alive, good cause had he 
To be my mortal enemy.' 

XXII. 

Marvelled Sir David of the Mount ; 
Then, learned in story, gan recount 

Such chance had happed of old. 
When once, near Norham, there did fight 
A spectre fell of fiendish might, 
In likeness of a Scottish knight, 460 

With Brian Bulmer bold, 
And trained him nigh to disallow 
The aid of his baptismal vow. 
' And such a phantom, too, 't is said, 
With Highland broadsword, targe, and plaid, 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. 129 

And fingers red with gore, 
Is seen in Rothiemurcus glade, 
Or where the sable pine-trees shade 
Dark Tomantoul, and Auchnaslaid, 

Dromouchty, or Glenmore. 470 

And yet, whate'er such legends say 
Of warlike demon, ghost, or fay, 

On mountain, moor, or plain. 
Spotless in faith, in bosom bold, 
True son of chivalry should hold 

These midnight terrors vain ; 
For seldom have such spirits power 
To harm, save in the evil hour 
When guilt we meditate within 

Or harbor unrepented sin.' — 4S0 

Lord Marmion turned him half aside, 
And twice to clear his voice he tried. 

Then pressed Sir David's hand, — 
But nought, at length, in answer said ; 
And here their further converse stayed, 

Each ordering that his band 
Should bowne them with the rising day, 
To Scotland's camp to take their way, — 

Such was the king's command. 



XXIII. 

Early they took Dun-Edin's road, 490 

And I could trace each step they trode ; 
Hill, brook, nor dell, nor rock, nor stone, 
Lies on the path to me unknown. 
Much might it boast of storied lore ; 
But, passing such digression o'er. 
Suffice it that their route was laid 
Across the furzy hills of Braid. 
9 



130 M ARM ION. CANTO IV, 

They passed, the glen and scanty rill, 

And climbed the opposing bank, until 

They gained the top of Blackford Hill. 50c 



xxrv. 

Blackford ! on whose uncultured breast, 

Among the broom and thorn and whin, 
A truant-boy, I sought the nest, 
Or listed, as I lay at rest. 

While rose on breezes thin" 
The murmur of the city crowd, 
And, from his steeple jangling loud, 

Saint Giles's mingling din. 
Now, from the summit to the plain. 
Waves all the hill with yellow grain ; 

And o'er the landscape as I look, 
Nought do I see unchanged remain, 

Save the rude cliffs and chiming brook. 
To me they make a heavy moan 
Of early friendships past and gone. 

XXV. 

But different far the change has been, 

Since Marmion from the crown 
Of Blackford saw that martial scene 

Upon the bent so brown : 
Thousand pavilions, white as snow, 
Spread all the Borough-moor below, 

Upland, and dale, and down. 
A thousand did I say ? I ween. 
Thousands on thousands there were seen, 
That checkered all the heath between 

The streamlet and the town, 



CANTO IV. 



THE CAMP. ^3^ 

In crossing ranks extending far, 

Forming a camp irregular ; 

Oft giving way where still there stood 

Some relics of the old oak wood, 530 

That darkly huge did intervene 

And tamed the glaring white with green : 

In these extended lines there lay 

A martial kingdom's vast array. 

XXVI. 

For from Hebiides, dark with rain, 

To eastern Lodon's fertile plain, 

And from the southern Redswire edge 

To furthest Rosse's rocky ledge. 

From west to east, from south to north, 

Scotland sent all her warriors forth. 540 

Marmion might hear the mingled hum 

Of myriads up the mountain come, — 

The horses' tramp and tinkling clank, 

Where chiefs reviewed their vassal rank, 

And charger's shrilling neigh, — 
And see the shifting lines advance. 
While frequent flashed from shield and lance 

The sun's reflected ray. 

XXVII. 

Thin curling in the morning air, 

The wreaths of failing smoke declare 55° 

To embers now the brands decayed, 

Where the night-watch their fires had made. 

They saw, slow rolling on the plain. 

Full many a baggage-cart and wain, 

And dire artillery's clumsy car, 

Rv sluggish oxen tugged to war : 



132 MARMION. CANTO IV. 

And there were Borthwick's Sisters Seven, 

And culverins which France had given. 

Ill-omened gift ! the guns remain 

The conqueror's spoil on Flodden plain. 560 



XXVIII. 

Nor marked they less where in the air 
A thousand streamers flaunted fair ; 
Various in shape, device, and hue, 
Green, sanguine, purple, red, and blue, 
Broad, narrow, swallow-tailed, and square, 
Scroll, pennon, pencil, bandrol, there 

O'er the pavihons flew. 
Highest and midmost, was descried 
The royal banner floating wide ; 

The staff, a pine-tree, strong and straight. 
Pitched deeply in a massive stone. 
Which still in memory is shown, 
Yet bent beneath the standard's weight. 
Whene'er the western wind unrolled 
With toil the huge and cumbrous fold, 
And gave to view the dazzling field, 
Where in proud Scotland's royal shield 
The ruddy lion ramped in gold. 



XXIX. 

Lord Marmion viewed the landscape bright, — 
He viewed it with a chiefs delight, — 580 

Until within him burned his heart. 
And lightning from his eye did part, 

As on the battle-day ; 
Such glance did falcon never dart 
When stooping on his prey. 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. 133 

' Oh ! well, Lord- Lion, hast thou said, 
Thy king from warfare to dissuade 

Were but a vain essay ; 
For, by Saint George, were that host mine, 
Not power infernal nor divine 590 

Should once to peace my soul incline, 
Till I had dimmed their armor's shine 

In glorious battle-fray ! ' 
Answered the bard, of milder mood : 
' Fair is the sight, — and }^et 't were good 

That kings would think withal, 
When peace and wealth their land has blessed, 
'T is better to sit still at rest 

Than rise, perchance to fall.' 



XXX. 

Still on the spot Lord Marmion stayed, 
For fairer scene he ne'er surveyed. 
When sat'ed with the martial show 
That peopled all the plain beiow, 
The wandering eye could o'er it go, 
And mark the distant city glow 

With gloomy splendor red ; 
For on the smoke-wreaths, huge and slow, 
That round her sable turrets flow. 

The morning beams were shed, 
And tinged them with a lustre proud. 
Like that which streaks a thunder-cloud. 
Such dusky grandeur clothed the height 
Where the huge castle holds its state, 

And all the steep slope down, 
Wliose ridgy back heaves to the sky. 
Piled deep and massy, close and high, 

Mine own romantic town ! 



134 MARMION. CANTO iv. 

But northward far, with purer blaze, 

On Ochil mountains fell the rays, 

And as each heathy top they kissed, 620 

It gleamed a purple amethyst. 

Yonder the shores of Fife you saw. 

Here Preston-Bay and Berwick-Law ; 

And, broad between them rolled. 
The gallant Firth the eye might note, 
Whose islands on its bosom float, 

Like emeralds chased in gold. 
Fitz-Eustace' heart felt closely pent; 
As if to give his rapture vent. 
The spur he to his charger lent, 630 

And raised his bridle hand. 
And making demi-volt in air, 
Cried, ' Where 's the coward that would not dare 

To fight for such a land ! ' 
The Lindesay smiled his joy to see, 
Nor Marmion's frown repressed his glee. 



XXXI. 

Thus while they looked, a flourish proud. 
Where mingled trump, and clarion loud, 

And fife, and kettle-drum. 
And sackbut deep, and psaltery, 640 

And war-pipe with discordant cry, 
And cymbal clattering to the sky. 
Making wild music bold and high, 

Did up the mountain come ; 
The whilst the bells with distant chime 
Merrily tolled the hour of prime. 

And thus the Lindesay spoke : 
' Thus clamor still the war-notes when 
The king to mass his way has ta'en, 



CANTO IV. THE CAMP. 135 

Or to Saint Catherine's of Sienne, 650 

Or Chapel of Saint Rocque. 
To you they speak of martial tame, 
But me remind of peaceful game, 

When blither was their cheer. 
Thrilling in Falkland-woods the air, 
In signal none his steed should spare. 
But strive which foremost might repair 

To the downfall of the deer. 



XXXII. 

' Nor less,' he said, ' when looking forth 

I view yon Empress of the North 660 

Sit on her hilly throne. 
Her palace's imperial bowers. 
Her castle, proof to hostile powers, 
Her stately halls and holy towers — 

Nor less,' he said, ' I moan 
To think what woe mischance may bring, 
And how these merry bells may ring 
The death-dirge of our gallant king. 

Or with their larum call 
The burghers forth to watch and ward, 670 

'Gainst Southern sack and fires to guard 

Dun-Edin's leaguered wall. — 
But not for my presaging thought, 
Dream conquest sure or cheaply bought ! 

Lord Marmion, I say nay : 
God is the guider of the field. 
He breaks the champion's spear and shield, — 

But thou thyself shalt say, 
When joins yon host in deadly stowre, 
That England's dames must weep in bower, 680 

Her monks the death-mass sing ; 



136 



MARMION. 



CANTO IV. 



For never saw'st thou such a power 

Led on by such a king.' 
And now, down winding to the plain, 
The barriers of the camp they gain, 

And there they made a stay. — 
There stays the Minstrel, till he fling 
His hand o'er every Border string, 
And fit his harp the pomp to sing 
Of Scotland's ancient court and king, 

In the succeeding lay. 



690 




^^'"a 




INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 



To GEORGE ELLTS, ESQ. 

Edinburgh. 

When dark December glooms the day, 
And takes our autumn joys away ; 
When sliort and scant the sunbeam throws 
Upon the weary waste of snows 
A cold and profitless regard, 
Like patron on a needy bard ; 
When sylvan occupation 's done, 
And o'er the chimney rests the gun. 
And hang in idle trophy near, 
The game-pouch, fishing-rod, and spear ; 
When wiry terrier, rough and grim, 
And greyhound, with his length of limb, 
And pointer, now employed no more. 
Cumber our parlor's narrow floor ; 
When in his stall the impatient steed 
Is long condemned to rest and feed ; 



138 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 

When from our snow-encircled home 

Scarce cares the hardiest step to roam, 

Since path is none, save that to bring 

The needful water from the spring ; 20 

When wrinkled news-page, thrice conned o'er, 

Beguiles the dreary hour no more, 

And darkling politician, crossed. 

Inveighs against the lingering post, 

And answering housewife sore complains 

Of carriers' snow-impeded wains ; — 

When such the country-cheer, I come 

Well pleased to seek our city home ; 

For converse and for books to change 

The Forest's melancholy range, 30 

And welcome with renewed delight 

The busy day and social night. 



Not here need my desponding rhyme 
Lament the ravages of time, 
x\s erst by Newark's riven towers. 
And Ettrick stripped of forest bowers. 
True, Caledonia's Queen is changed 
Since on her dusky summit ranged, 
Within its steepy limits pent 
By bulwark, line, and battlement. 
And flanking towers, and laky flood, 
Guarded and garrisoned she stood, 
Denying entrance or resort 
Save at each tall embattled port, 
Above whose arch, suspended, hung 
Portcullis spiked with iron prong. 
That long is gone, — but not so long 
Since, early closed and opening late, 
Jealous revolved the studded gate, 



INTRODUCTION TO CAXTO FIFTH. 139 

Whose task, from eve to morning tide, 5° 

A wicket churlishly supplied. 

Stern then and steel-girt was th\' brow, 

Dun-Edin ! Oh, how altered now. 

When safe amid thy mountain court 

Thou sitt'st, like empress at her sport, 

And liberal, unconfined, and free, 

Flinging thy white arms to the sea, 

For thy dark cloud, with umbered lower, 

That hung o'er cliff and lake and tower, 

Thou gleam'st against the western ray 60 

Ten thousand lines of brighter day ! 



Not she, the championess of old, 
In Spenser's magic tale enrolled, 
She for the charmed spear renowned, 
Which forced each knight to kiss the ground, 
Not she more changed, when, placed at rest. 
What time she was Malbecco's guest, 
She gave to flow her maiden vest ; 
When, from the corselet's grasp relieved, 
Free to the sight her bosom heaved : 
Sweet was her blue eye's modest smile, 
Erst hidden by the aventayle. 
And down her shoulders graceful rolled 
Her locks profuse of paly gold. 
They who whilom in midnight fight 
Had marvelled at her matchless might, 
No less her maiden charms approved. 
But looking liked, and liking loved. 
The sight could jealous pangs beguile. 
And charm Malbecco's cares awhile ; 
And he, the wandering Squire of Dames, 
Forgot his Columbella's claims. 



I40 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 

And passion, erst unknown, could gain 

The breast of blunt Sir Satyrane ; 

Nor durst light Paridell advance, 

Bold as he was, a looser glance. 

She charmed, at once, and tamed the heart, 

Incomparable Britomart ! 

So thou, fair City ! disarrayed 
Of battled wall and rampart's aid. 
As stately seem'st, but lovelier far 
Than in that jianoply of war. 
Nor deem that from thy fenceless throne 
Strength and security are flown ; 
Still as of yore, Queen of the North ! 
Still canst thou send thy children forth. 
Ne'er readier at alarm-bell's call 
Thy burghers rose to man thy wall 
Than now, in danger, shall be thine, 
Thy dauntless voluntary line ; 
For fosse and turret proud to stand, 
Their breasts the bulwarks of the land. 
Thy thousands, trained to martial toil. 
Full red would stain their native soil. 
Ere from thy mural crown there fell 
The slightest knosp or pinnacle. 
And if it come, as come it may, 
Dun-Edin ! that eventful day, 
Renowned for hospitable deed. 
That virtue much with Heaven may plead, 
In patriarchal times whose care 
Descending angels deigned to share ; 
That claim may wrestle blessings down 
On those who fight for the Good Town, 
Destined in every age to be 
Refuge of injured royalty ; 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 141 

Since first, when conquering York arose, 

To Henry meek she gave repose, 

Till late, with wonder, grief, and awe, 

Great Bourbon's relics sad she saw. 120 



Truce to these thoughts ! — for, as they rise. 
How gladly I avert mine eyes, 
Bodings, or true or false, to change 
For Fiction's fair romantic range. 
Or for Tradition's dubious light, 
That hovers 'twixt the day and night : 
Dazzling alternately and dim, 
Her wavering lamp I 'd rather trim, 
Knights, sc^uires, and lovely dames to see. 
Creation of my fantasy, 130 

Than gaze abroad on reeky fen. 
And make of mists invading men. — 
Who loves not more the night of June 
Than dull December's gloomy noon ? 
The moonlight than the fog of frost ? 
And can we say which cheats the most? 

But who shall teach my harp to gain 
A sound of the romantic strain 
Whose Anglo-Norman tones whilere 
Could win the royal Henry's ear, mo 

Famed Beauclerk called, for that he loved 
The minstrel and his lay approved ? 
Who shall these lingering notes redeem. 
Decaying on Oblivion's stream ; 
Such notes as from the Breton tongue 
Marie translated, Blondel sung ? — 
Oh ! born Time's ravage to repair, 
And make the dying Muse thy care ; 



142 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 

Who, when his scythe her hoary foe 

Was poising for the final blow, 150 

The weapon from his hand could wring, 

And break his glass and shear his wing, 

And bid, reviving in Jiis strain. 

The gentle poet live again ; 

Thou, who canst give to lightest lay 

An unpedantic moral gay, 

Nor less the dullest theme bid flit 

On wings of unexpected wit ; 

In letters as in life approved, 

Example honored and beloved, — 160 

Dear Ellis ! to the bard impart 

A lesson of thy magic art. 

To win at once the head and heart, — 

At once to charm, instruct, and mend, 

My guide, my pattern, and my friend ! 

Such minstrel lesson to bestow 
Be long thy pleasing task, — bat, oh ! 
No more by thy example teach 
What few can practise, all can preach, — 
With even patience to endure 170 

Lingering disease and painful cure, 
And boast affliction's pangs subdued 
By mild and manly fortitude. 
Enough, the lesson has been given : 
Forbid the repetition. Heaven ! 

Come listen, then ! for thou hast known 
And loved the Minstrel's varying tone. 
Who, like his Border sires of old, 
Waked a wild measure rude and bold, 
Till Windsor's oaks and Ascot plain 180 

With wonder heard the Northern strain. 



INl'RODUCTIOX TO CANTO FIFTH. 



43 



Come listen ! bold in thy applause, 
The bard shall scorn pedantic laws ; 
And, as the ancient art could stain 
Achievements on the storied pane, 
Irregularly traced and planned, 
But yet so glowing and so grand, 
So shall he strive, in changeful hue, 
Field, feast, and combat to renew. 
And loves, and arms, and harpers' glee. 
And all the pomp of chivalry. 





CANTO FIFTH. 



THE COURT. 



The train has left the hilis of Braid ; 
The barrier guard have open made — 
So Lindesay bade — the palisade 

That closed the tented ground ; 
Their men the warders backward drew, 
And carried pikes as they rode through 

Into its ample bound. 
Fast ran the Scottish warriors there, 



THE COURT. 145 

Upon the Southern band to stare. 

And envy with their wonder rose, 10 

To see such well-appointed foes ; 

Such length of shafts, such mighty bows, 

So huge that many simply thought 

But for a vaunt such weapons wrought. 

And little deemed their force to feel 

Through links of mail and plates of steel 

When, rattling upon Flodden vale, 

The cloth-yard aiTOws flew like hail. 



Nor less did Marmion's skilful view 

Glance every line and squadron through, 20 

And much he marvelled one small land 

Could marshal forth such various band ; 

For men-at-arms were here, 
Heavily sheathed in mail and plate. 
Like iron towers for strength and weight, 
On Flemish steeds of bone and height, 

With battle-axe and spear. 
Young knights and squires, a lighter train, 
Practised their chargers on the plain, 
By aid of leg, of hand, and rein, 3° 

Each warlike feat to show, 
To pass, to wheel, the croupe to gain. 
And high curvet, that not in vain 
The sword-sway might descend amain 

On foeman's casque below. 
He saw the hardy burghers there 
March armed on foot with faces bare, 

For visor they wore none. 
Nor waving plume, nor crest of knight ; 
But burnished were their corselets bright, 40 

Their brigantines and gorgets light 



146 MAKMION. CANTO V. 

Like very silver shone. 
Long pikes tiiey had for standing fight, 

Two-handed swords they wore, 
And many wielded mace of weight, 

And bucklers bright they bore. 



III. 

On foot the yeoman too, but dressed 
In his steel-jack, a swarthy vest, 

With iron quilted well ; 
Each at his back — a slender store — 50 

His forty days' provision bore. 

As feudal statutes tell. 
His arms were halbert, axe, or spear, 
A crossbow there, a hagbut here, 

A dagger-knife, and brand. 
Sober he seemed and sad of cheer, 
As loath to leave his cottage dear 

And march to foreign strand. 
Or musing who would guide his steer 

To till the fallow land. 60 

Yet deem not in his thoughtful eye 
Did aught of dastard terror lie ; 

More dreadful far his ire 
Than theirs who, scorning danger's name, 
In eager mood to batde came, 
Their valor like light straw on flame, 

A fierce but fading fire. 



IV. 

Not so the Borderer : — bred to war, 
He knew the battle's din afar. 
And joyed to hear it swell. 



THE COURT. 147 

His peaceful day was slothful ease ; 
Nor harp nor pipe his ear could please 

Like the loud slogan yell. 
On active steed, with lance and blade, 
The light-armed pricker plied his trade, — 

Let nobles fight for fame ; 
Let vassals follow where they lead, 
Burghers, to guard their townships, bleed, 

But war 's the Borderers' game. 
Their gain, their glory, their delight, 80 

To sleep the day, maraud the night, 

O'er mountain, moss, and moor ; 
Joyful to fight they took their way. 
Scarce caring who might win the day. 

Their booty was secure. 
These, as Lord Marmion's train i)assed l)y. 
Looked- on at first with careless eye. 
Nor marvelled aught, well taught to know 
The form and force of English bow. 
But when they saw the lord arrayed 90 

In splendid arms and rich brocade, 
Each Borderer to his kinsman said, — 

' Hist, Ringan ! seest thou there ! 
Canst guess which road they '11 homeward ride ? 
Oh ! could we but on Border side. 
By Eusedale glen, or Liddell's tide. 

Beset a prize so fair ! 
That fangless Lion, too, their guide. 
Might chance to lose his glistering hide ; 
Brown Maudlin of that doublet pied 100 

Could make a kirtle rare. ' 



Next. Marmion marked the Celtic race. 
Of different language, form, and face. 



148 



MARiMION. 



CANTO V. 



A various race of man ; 
Just then the chiefs their tribes arrayed, 
And wild and garish semblance made 
The checkered trews and belted plaid, 
And varying notes the war-pipes brayed 

To every varying clan. 
Wild through their red or sable hair 
Looked out their eyes with savage stare 

On Marmion as he passed ; 
Their legs above the knee were bare ; 
Their frame was sinewy, short, and spare, 




And hardened to the blast ; 
Of taller race, the chiefs they own 
Were by the eagle's plumage known. 



THE COURT. 149 

The hunted red deer's undressed hide 

Their hairy buskins well supplied ; 

The graceful bonnet decked their head ; 120 

Back from their shoulders hung the plaid ; 

A broadsword of unwieldy length, 

A dagger proved for edge and strength, 

A studded targe they wore, 
And quivers, bows, and shafts, — but, oh ! 
Short was the shaft and weak the bow 

To that which England bore. 
The Isles-men carried at their backs 
The ancient Danish battle-axe. 

They raised a wild and wondering cry, 130 

As with his guide rode IVIarmion by. 
Loud were their clamoring tongues, as when 
The clanging sea-fowl leave the fen, 
And, with their cries discordant mixed, 
Grumbled and yelled the pipes betwixt. 

VI. 

Thus through the Scottish camp they passed, 

And reached the city gate at last. 

Where all around, a wakeful guard. 

Armed burghers kept their watch and ward. 

Well had they cause of jealous fear, mo 

When lay encamped in field so near 

The Borderer and the Mountaineer. 

As through the bustling streets they go. 

All was alive with martial show ; 

At every turn with dinning clang 

The armorer's anvil clashed and rang. 

Or toiled the swarthy smith to wheel 

The bar that arms the charger's heel, 

Or axe or falchion to the side 

Of jarring grindstone was applied. 15° 



50 MARMION. 

Page, groom, and squire, with hurrying pace. 
Through street and lane and market-place, 

Bore lance or casque or sword ; 
While burghers, with important face, 

Described each new-come lord, 
Discussed his lineage, told his name, 
His following, and his warlike fame. 
The Lion led to lodging meet, 
Which high o'erlooked the crowded street ; 

There must the baron rest 
Till past the hour of vesper tide. 
And then to Holy-Rood must ride, — 

Such was the king's behest. 
Meanwhile the Lion's care assigns 
A banquet rich and costly wines 

To Marmion and his' train ; 
And when the appointed hour succeeds, 
The baron dons his peaceful weeds, 
And following Lindesay as he leads. 

The palace halls they gam. 



Old Holy-Rood rung merrily 
That night with wassail, mirth, and glee : 
King James within her princely bower 
Feasted the chiefs of Scotland's power. 
Summoned to spend the parting hour ; 
For he had charged that his array 
Should southward march by break of day. 
Well loved that splendid monarch aye 

The banquet and the song, 
By day the tourney, and by night 
The merry dance, traced fast and light, 
The maskers quaint, the pageant bright, 

The revel loud and long. 



TIIK COf'A'T. 




HOI-YROOD P ALACK. 



This feast outshone his banquets past : 
It was his blithest — and his last. 
The dazzling lamps from gallery gay 
Cast on the court a dancing ray ; 
Here to the harp did minstrels sing, 
There ladies touched a softer string ; 
With long-eared cap and motley vest, 
The licensed fool retailed his jest ; 
His magic tricks the juggler plied ; 
At dice and draughts the gallants vied ; 
While some, in close recess apart, 
Courted the ladies of their heart, 



52 MARMION. CANTO V. 

Nor courted them in vain ; 
For often in the parting hour 
Victorious Love asserts his power 

O'er coldness and disdain ; 
And flinty is her heart can view 200 

To battle march a lover true — 
Can hear, perchance, his last adieu. 

Nor own her share of pain. 



VIII. 

Through this mixed crowd of glee and game 
The king to greet Lord Marmion came, 

While, reverent, all made room. 
An easy task it was, I trow. 
King James's manly form to know. 
Although, his courtesy to show. 
He doffed to Marmion bending low 

His broidered cap and plume. 
For royal were his garb and mien : 

His cloak of crimson velvet piled, 

Trimmed with the fur of marten wild, 
His vest of changeful satin sheen. 

The dazzled eye beguiled ; 
His gorgeous collar hung adown. 
Wrought with the badge of Scotland's crown. 
The thistle brave of old renown ; 
His trusty blade, Toledo right, 
Descended from a baldric bright ; 
White were his buskins, on the heel 
His spurs inlaid of gold and steel ; 
His bonnet, all of crimson fair. 
Was buttoned with a ruby rare : 
And Marmion deemed he ne'er had seen 
A prince of such a noble mien. 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 153 



IX. 

The monarch's form was middle size, 
For feat of strength or exercise 

Shaped in proportion fair ; 23° 

And hazel was his eagle eye, 
And auburn of the darkest dye 

His short curled beard and hair. 
Light was his footstep in the dance, 

And firm his stirrup in the lists ; 
And, oh ! he had that merry glance 

That seldom lady's heart resists. 
Lightly from fair to fair he flew, 
And loved to plead, lament, and sue, — 
Suit lightly won and short-lived pain, 240 

For monarchs seldom sigh in vain. 

I said he joyed in bancjuet bower ; 
But, mid his mirth, 'twas often strange 
How suddenly his cheer would change, 

His look o'ercast and lower, 
If in a sudden turn he felt 
The pressure of his iron belt, 
That bound his breast in penance pain. 
In memory of his father slain. 

Even so 't was strange how evermore, 250 

Soon as the passing pang was o'er. 
Forward he rushed with double glee 
Into the stream of revelry. 
Thus dim-seen object of affright 
Startles the courser in his flight, 
And half he halts, lialf springs aside, 
But feels the (quickening spur applied. 
And, straining on the tightened rein, 
Scours doubly swift o'er hill and plain. 



154 MARMION. CANTO v. 



O'er James's heart, the courtiers say, 21 

Sir Hugh the Heron's wife held sway ; 

To Scotland's court she came 
To be a hostage for her lord, 
Who Cessford's gallant heart had gored. 
And with the king to make accord 

Had sent his lovely dame. 
Nor to that lady free alone 
Did the gay king allegiance own ; 

For the fair Queen of France 
Sent him a turquoise ring and glove, 2 

And charged him. as her knight and love, 

For her to break a lance, 
And strike three strokes with Scottish brand, 
And march three miles on Southron land, 
And bid the banners of his band 

In English breezes dance. 
And thus for France's queen he drest 
His manly limbs in mailed vest, 
And thus admitted English fair 
His inmost councils still to share, 2 

And thus for both he madly planned 
The ruin of himself and land ! 

And yet, the sooth to tell, 
Nor England's fair nor France's queen 
Were worth one pearl-drop, bright and sheen, 

From Margaret's eyes that fell, — 
His own Queen Margaret, who in Lithgow's bower 
All lonely sat and wept the weary hour. 



XI. 

The queen sits lone in Lithgow pile 
And weeps the weary day 



XI. 

Lithgow pile, 

290 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 1 55 

The war against her native soil, 
Her monarch's risk in battle broil, — 
And in gay Holy-Rood the while 
Dame Heron rises with a smile 

Upon the harp to play. 
Fair was her rounded arm, as o'er 

The strings her fingers flew ; 
And as she touched and tuned them all, 
Ever her bosom's rise and fall 

Was plainer given to view ; 300 

For, all for heat, was laid aside 
Her wimple, and her hood untied. 
And first she pitched her voice to sing, 
Then glanced her dark eye on the king, 
And then around the silent ring, 
And laughed, and blushed, and oft did say 
Her pretty oath, by yea and nay, 
She could not, would not, durst not play ! 
At length, u})on the harp, with glee, 
Mingled with arch simplicity, 3«o 

A soft yet lively air she rung, 
While thus the wilv ladv sung : — 



XII. 
LOCHINVAR. 

Oh ! young Lochinvar is come out of the west. 
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best ; 
And save his good l)roadsword he weapons had none, 
He rode all unarmed and he rode all alone. 
So faithful in love and so dauntless in war, 
There never was knii^dit like the vounLi Lochinvar. 



156 MARMION CANTO V 

He stayed not for brake and he stopped not for stone, 

He swam the Eske river where ford there was none ; 32 

But ere he alighted at Netherby gate 

The bride had consented, the gallant came late : 

For a laggard in love and a dastard in war 

Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar. 

So boldly he entered the Netherby Hall, 

Among bridesmen, and kinsmen, and brothers, and all : 

Then spoke the bride's father, his hand on his sword, — 

For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word, — 

' Oh ! come ye in peace here, or come ye in war, 

Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar ? ' — 33. 

' I long wooed your daughter, my suit you denied ; 
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide — 
And now am I come, with this lost love of mine, 
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine. 
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far. 
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.' 

The bride kissed the goblet ; the knight took it up, 
He quaffed off the wine, and he threw down the cup. 
She looked down to blush, and she looked up to sigh, 
With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye. 34c 

He took her soft hand ere her mother could bar, — 
' Now tread we a measure ! ' said young Lochinvar. 

So stately his form, and so lovely her face, 

That never a hall such a galliard did grace ; 

While her mother did fret, and her father did fume. 

And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume ; 

And the bride-maidens whispered, ' 'T were better by far 

To have matched our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.' 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 15 7 

One touch to her hand and one word in her ear, 

When they reached the hall-door, and the charger stood near ; 

So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, 351 

So light to the saddle before her he sprung ! 

' She is won ! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur ; 

They '11 have fleet steeds that follow,' quoth young Lochinvar. 

There was mounting 'mong Graemes of the Netherby clan ; 

Forsters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran : 

There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee, 

But the lost bride of Netherby ne'er did they see. 

So daring in love and so dauntless in war, 

Have ye e'er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar? 360 



XIII. 

The monarch o'er the siren hung, 
And beat the measure as she sung ; 
And, pressing closer and more near, 
He whispered praises in her ear. 
In loud applause the courtiers vied, 
And ladies winked and spoke aside. 

The witching dame to Marmion threw 
A glance, where seemed to reign 

The pride that claims applauses due. 

And of her royal conquest too 370 

A real or feigned disdain : 
Familiar was the look, and told 
Marmion and she were friends of old. 
The king observed their meeting eyes 
With something like displeased surprise ; 
For monarchs ill can rivals brook, 
Even in a word, or smile, or look. 
Straight took he forth the parchment broad 
Which Marmion's hidi commission showed : 



$8 MARMION. CANTO V. 

' Our Borders sacked by many a raid, 380 

Our peaceful liege-men robbed,' he said, 
' On day of truce our warden slain, 
Stout Barton killed, his vessels ta'en — 
Unworthy were we here to reign, 
Should these for vengeance cry in vain ; 
Our full defiance, hate, and scorn, 
Our herald has to Henry borne.' 



XIV. 

He paused, and led where Douglas stood 

And with stern eye the pageant viewed ; 

I mean that Douglas, sixth of yore, 390 

Who coronet of Angus bore. 

And, when his blood and heart were high, 

Did the third James in camp defy, 

And all his minions led to die 

On Lauder's dreary flat. 
Princes and favorites long grew tame, 
And trembled at the homely name 

Of Archibald Bell-the-Cat ; 
The same who left the dusky vale 
Of Hermitage in Liddisdale, 400 

Its dungeons and its towers, 
Where Bothwell's turrets brave the air, 
And Bothwell bank is blooming fair. 

To fix his princely bowers. 
Though now in age he had laid down 
His armor for the peaceful gown, 

And for a staff his brand, 
Yet often would flash forth the fire 
That could in youth a monarch's ire 

And minion's pride withstand ; 410 



CANTO V. 



THE COURT. 



'59 




And even that day at council board, 
Unapt to soothe his sovereign's mood. 
Against the war liad Angus stood. 

And chafed his royal lord. 



XV. 



His giant-form, like ruined tower. 
Though fallen its muscles' brawny vaunt. 
Huge-boned, and tall, and grim, and gaunt, 

Seemed o'er the gaudy scene to lower ; 



l6o MARMION. CANTO V. 

His locks and beard in silver grew, 

His eyebrows kept their sable hue. 420 

Near Douglas when the monarch stood, 

His bitter speech he thus pursued : 

* Lord Marmion, since these letters say 

That in the North you needs must stay 

While slightest hopes of peace remain, 
Uncourteous speech it were and stern 
To say — Return to Lindisfarne, 

Until my herald come again. 
Then rest you in Tantallon hold ; 
Your host shall be the Douglas bold, — 430 

A chief unlike his sires of old. 
He wears their motto on his blade. 
Their blazon o'er his towers displa^d, 
Yet loves his sovereign to oppose 
More than to face his country's foes. 

And, I bethink me, by Saint Stephen, 

But e'en this morn to me was given 
A prize, the first fruits of the war, 
Ta'en by a galley from Dunbar, 

A bevy of the maids of heaven. 440 

Under your guard these holy maids 
Shall safe return to cloister shades. 
And, while they at Tantallon stay, 
Requiem for Cochran's soul may say.' 
And with the slaughtered favorite's name 
Across the monarch's brow there came 
A cloud of ire, remorse, and shame. 



XVI. 

In answer nought could Angus speak. 

His proud heart swelled well-nigh to break ; 

He turned aside, and down his cheek 45© 



CANTO V. 



THE COURT. i^Ji 

A burning tear there stole. 
His hand the monarch sudden took, 
That sight his kind heart could not brook : 

' Now, by the Bruce's soul, 
Angus, my hasty speech forgive ! 
For sure as doth his spirit live, 
As he said of the Douglas old, 

I well may say of you, — 
That never king did subject hold, 
In speech more free, in war more bold, 460 

More tender and more true ; 
Forgive me, Douglas, once again.' — 
And, while the king his hand did strain, 
The old man's tears fell down like rain. 
To seize the moment Marmion tried, 
And whispered to the king aside : 
' Oh ! let such tears unwonted plead 
For respite short from dubious deed ! 
A child will weep a bramble's smart, 
A maid to see her sparrow part, 470 

A stripling for a woman's heart ; 
But woe awaits a country when 
She sees the tears of bearded men. 
Then, oh ! what omen, dark and high, 
When Douglas wets his manly eye ! ' 



XVII. 

Displeased was James that stranger viewed 

And tampered with his changing mood. 

' Laugh those that can, weep those that may, 

Thus did the fiery monarch say, 

' Southward I march by break of day ; 

And if within Tantallon strong 

The good Lord Marmion tarries long, 



1 62 M ARM J ON. CANTO V. 

Perchance our meeting next may fall 

At Tamworth in his castle-hall.' — 

The haughty Marmion felt the taunt, 

And answered grave the royal vaunt : 

' Much honored were my humble home, 

If in its halls King James should come ; 

But Nottingham has archers good, 

And Yorkshire men are stern of mood, 49° 

Northumbrian prickers wild and rude. 

On Derby Hills the paths are steep, 

In Ouse and Tyne the fords are deep ; 

And many a banner will be torn, 

And many a knight to earth be borne. 

And many a sheaf of arrows spent. 

Ere Scotland's king shall cross the Trent : 

Yet pause, brave prince, while yet you may ! ' — 

The monarch lightly turned away. 

And to his nobles loud did call, 5°° 

' Lords, to the dance, — a hall ! a hall ! ' 

Himself his cloak and sword flung by. 

And led Dame Heron gallantly ; 

And minstrels, at the royal order. 

Rung out ' Blue Bonnets o'er the Border.' 

XVIII. 

Leave we these revels now to tell 

What to Saint Hilda's maids befell, 

Whose galley, as they sailed again 

To Whitby, by a Scot was ta'en. 

Now at Dun-Edin did they bide 510 

Till James should of their fate decide, 

And soon by his command 
Were gently summoned to prepare 
To journey under Marmion's care. 
As escort honored, safe, and fair. 



THE COURT. 163 

Again to English land. 
The abbess told her chaplet o'er, 
Nor knew which Saint she should implore ; 
For, when she thought of Constance, sore 

She feared Lord Marmion's mood. 520 

And judge what Clara must have felt ! 
The sword that hung in Marmion's belt 

Had drunk De Wilton's blood. 
Unwittingly King James had given, 

As guard to Whitby's shades, 
The man most dreaded under heaven 

By these defenceless maids ; 
Yet what petition could avail, 
Or who would listen to the tale 
Of woman, prisoner, and nun, 530 

Mid bustle of a war begun ? 
They deemed it hopeless to avoid 
The convoy of their dangerous guide. 

XIX. 

Their lodging, so the king assigned. 
To INIarmion's, as their guardian, joined ; 
And thus it fell that, passing nigh. 
The Palmer caught the abbess' eye, 

Who warned him by a scroll 
She had a secret to reveal 
That much concerned the Church's weal 

And health of sinner's soul ; 
And, with deep charge of secrecy, 

She named a place to meet 
Within an open balcony. 
That hung from dizzy pitch and high 

Above the stately street. 
To which, as common to each home. 
At night they might in secret come. 



540 



1 64 MARMION. 



CANTO \. 



XX. 

At night in secret there they came, 

The Pahiier and the holy dame. 550 

The moon among the clouds rode high, 

And all the city hum was by. 

Upon the street, where late before 

Did din of war and warriors roar, 

You might have heard a pebble fall, 
A beetle hum, a cricket sing, 
An owlet flap his boding wing 

On Giles's steeple tall. 
The antique buildings, chmbing high, 
Whose Gothic frontlets sought the sky, 560 

Were here wrapt deep in shade ; 
There on their brows the moonbeam broke, 
Through the faint wreaths of silvery smoke, 

And on the casements played. 
And other light was none to see, 

Save torches gliding far, 
Before some chieftain of degree 
Who left the royal revelry 

To bowne him for the war. — 
A solemn scene the abbess chose, 570 

A solemn hour, her secret to disclose. 

XXI. 

* O holy Palmer ! ' she began, — 
' For sure he must be sainted man, 
Whose blessed feet have trod the ground 
Where the Redeemer's tomb is found, — 
For his dear Church's sake, my tale 
Attend, nor deem of light avail, 
Though I must speak of worldly love, — 
How vain to those who wed above ! — 



CANTO V. 



THE COURT. 165 

De Wilton and Lord ^larmion wooed 580 

Clara de Clare, of (Foster's blood ; — 

Idle it were of Whitby's dame 

To say of that same blood I came ; — 

And once, when jealous rage was high, 

Lord Marmion said despiteously, 

^Vilton was traitor in his heart, 

And had made league with Martin Swart 

When he came here on Simnel's part, 

And only cowardice did restrain 

His rebel aid on Stokefield's plain, — 59° 

And down he threw his glove. The thing 

Was tried, as wont, before the king ; 

Where frankly did De Wilton own 

That Swart in Guelders he had known, 

And that between them then there went 

Some scroll of courteous compHment. 

For this he to his castle sent ; 

But when his messenger returned. 

Judge how De Wilton's fury burned ! 

For in his packet there were laid 600 

Letters that claimed disloyal aid 

And proved King Henry's cause betrayed. 

His fame, thus blighted, in the held 

He strove to clear by spear and shield ; — 

To clear his fame in vain he strove, 

For wondrous are His ways above ! 

Perchance some form was unobserved, 

Perchance in prayer or faith he swerved, 

Else how could guiltless champion quail, 

Of how the blessed ordeal fail ? 610 



XXII. 

* His squire, who now De Wilton saw 
As recreant doouied to suffer law, 



1 66 M ARM ION. 



CANTO V. 



Repentant, owned in vain 
That while he had the scrolls in care 
A stranger maiden, passing fair, 
Had drenched him with a beverage rare j 

His words no faith could gain. 
With Clare alone he credence won, 
Who, rather than wed Marmion, 
Did to Saint Hilda's shrine repair, 620 

To give our house her livings fair 
And die a vestal votaress there. 
The impulse from the earth was given, 
But bent her to the paths of heaven. 
A purer heart, a loveher maid. 
Ne'er sheltered her in Whitby's shade, 
No, not since Saxon Edelfled ; 
Only one trace of earthly stain, 

That for her lover's loss 
She cherishes a sorrow vain, 630 

And murmurs at the cross. — 
And then her heritage : — it goes 

Along the banks of Tame ; 
Deep fields of grain the reaper mows, 
In meadows rich the heifer lows, 
The falconer and huntsman knows 

Its woodlands for the game. 
Shame were it to Saint Hilda dear, 
And I, her humble votaress here, 

Should do a deadly sin, 640 

Her temple spoiled before mine eyes, 
If this false Marmion such a prize 

By my consent should win ; 
Yet hath our boisterous monarch sworn 
That Clare shall from our house be torn, 
And grievous cause have I to fear 
Such mandate doth Lord Marmion bear. 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 167 



XXIII. 
' Now, prisoner, helpless, and betrayed 
To evil power, I claim thine aid. 

By every step that thou hast trod 650 

To holy shrine and grotto dim, 
By every martyr's tortured limb. 
By angel, saint, and seraphim, 

And by the Church of God ! 
For mark : when Wilton was betrayed, 
And with his squire forged letters laid, 
She was, alas ! that sinful maid 

By whom the deed was done^ — 
Oh ! shame and horror to be said ! 

She was — a perjured nun ! 660 

No clerk in all the land like her 
Traced quaint and varying character. 
Perchance you may a marvel deem, 

That Marmion's paramour — 
For such vile thing she was — should scheme 

Her lover's nuptial hour ; 
But o'er him thus she hoped to gain, 
As privy to his honor's stain. 

Illimitable power. 
For this she secredy retained 670 

Each proof that might the plot reveal, 

Instructions with his hand and seal ; 
And thus Saint Hilda deigned, 

Through sinners' perfidy impure. 

Her house's glory to secure 

And Clare's immortal weal. 

XXIV. 

* 'T were long and needless here to tell 
How to my hand these papers fell ; 



1 68 MARMION. CANTO V. 

With me they must not stay. 
Saint Hilda keep her abbess true ! 680 

Who knows what outrage he might do 

While journeying by the way? — 

blessed Saint, if e'er again 

1 venturous leave thy calm domain, 
* To travel or by land or main, 

Deep penance may I pay ! — 
Now, saintly Palmer, mark my prayer : 
I give this packet to thy care, 
For thee to stop they will not dare ; 

And oh ! with cautious speed 690 

To Wolsey's hand the papers bring, 
That he may show them to the king : 

And for thy well-earned meed. 
Thou holy man, at Whitby's shrine 
A weekly mass shall still be thine 

While priests can sing and read. — 
What ail'st thou ? — Speak ! ' — For as he took 
The charge a strong emotion shook 

His frame, and ere reply 
They heard a faint yet shrilly tone, 700 

Like distant clarion feebly blown, 

That on the breeze did die ; 
And loud the abbess shrieked in fear, 
' Saint AVithold, save us ! — AVhat is here ! 

Look at yon City Cross ! 
See on its battled tower appear 
Phantoms, that scutcheons seem to rear 

And blazoned banners toss ! ' — 



XXV. 

Dun-Edin's Cross, a pillared stone, 

Rose on a turret octagon ; — ' 710 



THE COURT. 169 

But now is razed that monument, 

Whence royal edict rang, 
And \oice of Scotland's law was sent 

In glorious trumpet-clang. 
Oh ! be his tomb as lead to lead 
Upon its dull destroyer's head ! — 
A minstrel's malison is said. — 
Then on its battlements they saw 
A vision, passing Nature's law, 

Strange, wild, and dimly seen ; 720 

Figures that seemed to rise and die, 
Gibber and sign, advance and fly, 
While nought confirmed could ear or eye 

Discern of sound or mien. 
Yet darkly did it seem as there 
Heralds and pursuivants prepare, 
With trumpet sound and blazon fair, 

A summons to proclaim ; 
But indistinct the pageant proud, 
As fancy forms of midnight cloud 730 

When flings the moon upon her shroud 

A wavering tinge of flame ; 
It flits, expands, and shifts, till loud, 
From midmost of the spectre crowd, 

This awful summons came : — 



XXVI. 

' Prince, prelate, potentate, and peer, 
Whose names I now shall call, 

Scottish or foreigner, give ear ! 

Subjects of him who sent me here, 

At his tribunal to appear 
I summon one and all : 

I cite you by each deadly sin 

That e'er hath soiled your hearts within ; 



T 70 MARMION. CANTO V. 

I cite you by each brutal lust 

That e'er defiled your earthly dust, — 

By wrath, by pride, by fear. 
By each o'ermastering passion's tone, 
By the dark grave and dying groan ! 
When forty days are passed and gone, 
I cite you, at your monarch's throne 750 

To answer and appear.' — 
Then thundered forth a roll of names : — 
The first was thine, unhappy James ! 

Then all thy nobles came ; 
Crawford, Glencairn, Montrose, Argyle, 
Ross, Bothwell, Forbes, Lennox, Lyle, — 
Why should I tell their separate style ? 

Each chief of birth and fame, 
Of Lowland, Highland, Border, Isle, 
Foredoomed to Flodden's carnage pile, 760 

Was cited there by name ; 
And Marmion, Lord of Fontenaye, 
Of Lutterward, and Scrivelbaye ; 
De Wilton, erst of Aberley, 
The self-same thundering voice did say. — 

But then another spoke : 
' Thy fatal summons I deny 
And thine infernal lord defy. 
Appealing me to Him on high 

Who burst the sinner's yoke.' 770 

At that dread accent, with a scream, 
Parted the pageant like a dream, 

The summoner was gone. 
Prone on her face the abbess fell. 
And fast, and fast, her beads did tell ; 
Her nuns came, startled by the yell. 

And found her there alone. 
She marked not, at the scerffe aghast. 
What time or how the Palmer passed. 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 17: 



XXVII. 

Shift we the scene. — The camp doth move ; 780 

Dun-Edin's streets are empty now, 
Save when, for weal of those they love 

To pray the prayer and vow the vow, 
The tottering child, the anxious fair, 
The gray-haired sire, with pious care, 
To chapels and to shrines repair. — 
Where is the Palmer now ? and where 
The abbess, Marmion, and Clare ? — 
Bold Douglas ! to Tantallon fair 

They journey in thy charge : 790 

Lord Marmion rode on his right hand. 
The Palmer still was with the band ; 
Angus, like Lindesay, did command 

That none should roam at large. 
But in that Palmer's altered mien 
A wondrous change might now be seen ; 

Freely he spoke of war. 
Of man-els wrought by single hand 
When lifted for a native land, 
And still looked high, as if he planned soo 

Some desperate deed afar. 
His courser would he feed and stroke. 
And, tucking up his sable frock, 
Would first his mettle bold provoke, 

Then soothe or quell his pride. 
Old Hubert said that never one 
He saw, except Lord Marmion, 

A steed so fairly ride. 

XXVIII. 

Some half-hour's march behind there came, 

By Eustace governed fair, 810 



172 MARMION. CANTO V. 

A troop escorting Hilda's dame, 
With all her nuns and Clare. 

No audience had Lord Marmion sought ; 
Ever he feared to aggravate 
Clara de Clare's suspicious hate ; 

And safer 't was, he thought. 

To wait till, from the nuns removed, 
The influence of kinsmen loved. 
And suit by Henry's self approved. 

Her slow consent had wrought. 820 

His was no flickering flame, that dies 
Unless when fanned by looks and sighs 
And lighted oft at lady's eyes ; 
He longed to stretch his wide command 
O'er luckless Clara's ample land : 
Besides, when Wilton with him vied, 
Although the pang of humbled pride 
The place of jealousy supplied, 
Yet conquest, by that meanness won 
He almost loathed to think upon, 830 

Led him, at times, to hate the cause 
Which made him burst through honor's laws. 
If e'er he loved, 't was her alone 
Who died within that vault of stone. 



XXIX. 

And now, when close at hand they saw 
North Berwick's town and lofty Law, 
Fitz-Eustace bade them pause awhile 
Before a venerable pile 

Whose turrets viewed afar 
The lofty Bass, the Lambie Isle, 840 

The ocean's peace or war. 
At tolling of a 1 )ell, forth came 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 173 

The convent's venerable dame, 

And prayed Saint Hilda's abbess rest 

With her, a loved and honored guest, 

Till Douglas should a bark prepare 

To waft her back to Whitby fair. 

Glad was the abbess, you may guess, 

And thanked the Scottish prioress ; 

And tedious were to tell, I ween, 850 

The courteous speech that passed between. 

O'erjoyed the nuns their palfreys leave ; 
But when fair Clara did intend, 
Like them, from horseback to descend, 

Fitz- Eustace said : ' I grieve, 
Fair lady, grieve e'en from my heart. 
Such gende company to part ; — 

Think not discourtesy. 
But lords' commands must be obeyed, 
And Marmion and the Douglas said 860 

That you must wend with me. 
Lord Marmion hath a letter broad, 
Which to the Scottish earl he showed. 
Commanding that beneath his care 
Without delay you shall repair 
To your good kinsman, Lord Fitz-Clare.' 



XXX. 

The startled abbess loud exclaimed ; 
But she at whom the blow was aimed 
Grew pale as death and cold as lead, — 
She deemed she heard her death-doom read. 870 

' Cheer thee, my child ! ' the abbess said, 
* They dare not tear thee from my hand, 
To ride alone with armed band.' — 
' Nay, holy mother, nay,' 



1 74 iMARMION. CANTO v. 

Fitz-Eustace said, ' the lovely Clare 
Will be in Lady Angus' care, 

In Scodand while we stay ; 
And when we move an easy ride 
Will bring us to the English side, 
Female attendance to provide sso 

Befitting Gloster's heir ; 
Nor thinks nor dreams my noble lord. 
By slightest look, or act, or word, 

To harass Lady Clare. 
Her faithful guardian he will be. 
Nor sue for slightest courtesy 

That e'en to stranger falls, 
Till he shall place her safe and free 

Within her kinsman's halls.' 
He spoke, and blushed with earnest grace ; 890 

His faith was painted on his face, 

And Clare's worst fear relieved. 
The Lady Abbess loud exclaimed 
On Henry, and the Douglas blamed. 

Entreated, threatened, grieved. 
To martyr, saint, and prophet prayed. 
Against Lord Marmion inveighed. 
And called the prioress to aid, 
To curse with candle, bell, and book. 
Her head the grave Cistertian shook : 900 

' The Douglas and the king,' she said, • 
' In their commands will be obeyed ; 
Grieve not, nor dream that harm can fall 
The maiden in Tantallon Hall.' 



XXXI. 



The abbess, seeing strife was vain, 

Assumed her wonted state again, - 

For much of state she had, — 



CANTO V. THE COURT. 175 

Composed her veil, and raised her head, 
And ' Bid,' in solemn voice she said, 

' Thy master, bold and bad, 910 

The records of his house turn o'er. 

And, when he shall there written see 

That one of his own ancestry 

Drove the monks forth of Coventry, 
Bid him his fate explore ! 

Prancing in pride of earthly trust, 

His charger hurled him to the dust. 

And, by a base plebeian thrust, 
He died his band before. 

God judge 'twixt Marmion and me ; 920 

He is a chief of high degree, 
And I a poor recluse, 

Yet oft in holy writ we see 

Even such weak minister as me 
May the oppressor bruise ; 

For thus, inspired, did Judith slay 
The mighty in his sin, 

And Jael thus, and Deborah ' — 
Here hasty Blount broke in : 
Fitz-Eustace, we must march our band ; 930 

Saint Anton' fire thee ! wilt thou stand 
All day, with bonnet in thy hand, 

To hear the lady preach ? 
By this good light ! if thus we stay, 
Lord Marmion for our fond delay 

Will sharper sermon teach. 
Come, don thy cap and mount thy horse ; 
The dame must patience take perforce.' 

XXXII. 

' Submit we then to force,' said Clare, 

' But let this barbarous lord despair 940 



1 7^ MARMION. 



CANTO V. 



His purposed aim to win ; 
Let him take living, land, and life. 
But to be Marmion's wedded wife 

In me were deadly sin : 
And if it be the king's decree 
That I must find no sanctuary 
In that inviolable dome 
Where even a homicide might come 

And safely rest his head. 
Though at its open portals stood, 950 

Thirsting to pour forth blood for blood, 

The kinsmen of the dead, 
Yet one asylum is my own 

Against the dreaded hour, — . 
A low, a silent, and a lone, 

Where kings have Httle power. 
One victim is before me there. — 
Mother, your blessing, and in prayer 
Remember your unhappy Clare ! ' 
Loud weeps the abbess, and bestows 960 

Kind blessings many a one ; 
Weeping and wailing loud arose, 
Round patient Clare, the clamorous woes 

Of every simple nun. 
His eyes the gende Eustace dried, 
And scarce rude Blount the sight could bide. 

Then took the squire her rein, 
And gently led away her steed, 
And by each courteous word and deed 

To cheer her strove in vain. 97° 



XXXIII. 

But scant three miles the band had rode, 
When o'er a height they passed. 



CANTO V. THE CO CRT. 177 

And, sudden, close before them showed 

His towers Tantallon vast, 
Broad, massive, high, and stretching far, 
And held impregnable in war. 
On a projecting rock they rose. 
And round three sides the ocean flows. 
The fourth did battled walls enclose 

And double mound and fosse. 980 

By narrow drawbridge, outworks strong, 
Through studded gates, an entrance long, 

To the main court they cross. 
It was a wide and stately square ; 
Around were lodgings fit and fair, 

And towers of various form, 
Which on the court projected far 
And broke its lines (juadrangular. 
Here was square keep, there turret high. 
Or pinnacle that sought the sky, 990 

Whence oft the warder could descry 

The gathering ocean-storm. 

XXXIV. 

Here did they rest. — The princely care 
Of Douglas why should I declare, 
Or say they met reception fair? 

Or why the tidings say, 
Which varying to Tantallon came, 
By hurrying posts or fleeter fame, 

With every varying day ? 
And, first, they heard King James had won 1000 

Etall, and Wark, and Ford ; and then, 

That Norham Castle strong was ta'en. 
At that sore marvelled Marmion, 
And Douglas hoped his monarch's hand 
Would soon subdue Northumberland ; 



I 78 M ARM I ON. 

But whispered news there came, 
That while his host inactive lay, 
And melted by degrees away. 
King James was dallying off the day 

With Heron's wily dame. 
Such acts to chronicles I yield ; 

Go seek them there and see : 
Mine is a tale of Flodden Field, 

And not a history. — 
At length they heard the Scottish host 
On that high ridge had made their post 

Which frowns o'er Millfield Plain ; 
And that brave Surrey many a band 
Had gathered in the Southern land, 
And marched into Northumberland, 

And camp at Wooler ta'en. 
Marmion, like charger in the stall. 
That hears, without, the trumpet-call, 

Began to chafe and swear : — 
^ A sorry thing to hide my head 
In castle, like a fearful maid, 

Wlien such a field is near. 
Needs must I see this battle-day ; 
Death to my fame if such a fray 
Were fought, and Marmion away ! 

The Douglas, too, I wot not why. 

Hath bated of his courtesy ; 
No longer in his halls I '11 stay : ' 
Then bade his band they should array 
For march against the dawning day. 






CANTO V. 





INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 



To RICHARD HEBER, ESQ. 

Merfonn Iloitse, Christinas. 

Heap on more wood ! — the wind is chill ; 

But let it whistle as it will, 

We '11 keep our Christmas merry still. 

Each age has deemed the new-born year 

The fittest time for festal cheer : 

Even, heathen yet, the savage Dane 

At lol more deep the mead did drain, 

High on the beach his galleys drew, 

And feasted all his pirate crew ; 

Then in his low and pine-built hall, 

Where shields and axes decked the wall, 

They gorged upon the half- dressed steer, 

Caroused in seas of sable beer. 

While round in brutal jest were thrown 

The half-gnawed rib and marrowbone, 

Or listened all in grim delight 

While scalds yelled out the joys of fight. 

Then forth in frenzy would they hie. 



l8o INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 

While wildly loose their red locks fly, 
And dancing round the blazing pile, 
They make such barbarous mirth the while 
As best might to the mind recall 
The boisterous joys of Odin's hall. 

And well our Christian sires of old 
Loved when the year its course had rolled, 
And brought blithe Christmas back again 
With all his hospitable train. 
Domestic and religious rite 
Gave honor to the holy night ; 
On Christmas eve the bells were rung, 
On Christmas eve the mass was sung : 
That only night in all the year 
Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear. 
The damsel donned her kirde sheen ; 
The hall was dressed with holly green ; 
Forth to the wood did merrymen go, 
To gather in the mistletoe. 
Then opened wide the baron's hall 
To vassal, tenant, serf, and all ; 
Power laid his rod of rule aside, 
And Ceremony doffed his pride. 
The heir, with roses in his shoes. 
That night might village partner choose ; 
The lord, underogating, share 
The vulgar game of ' post and pair.' 
All hailed, with uncontrolled delight 
And general voice, the happy night 
That to the cottage, as the crown, 
■ Brought tidings of salvation down. 

The fire, with well-dried logs supplied. 
Went roaring up the chimney wide ; 



IXTROnrCTION TO CANTO SJXTH. i8: 

The huge hall-table's oaken face, 

Scrubbed till it shone, the day to grace, 

Bore then upon its massive board 

No mark to part the squire and lord. 

Then was brought in the lusty brawn 

By old blue-coated serving- man ; 

Then the grim boar's-head frowned on high, 

Crested with bays and rosemary. 

Well can the green-garbed ranger tell 6< 

How, when, and where, the monster fell, 

What dogs before his death he tore. 

And all the baiting of the boar. 

The wassail round, in good brown bowls 

Garnished with ribbons, blithely trowls. 

There the huge sirloin reeked ; hard by 

Plum-porridge stood and Christmas pie ; 

Nor failed old Scotland to produce 

At such high tide her savory goose. 

Then came the merry maskers in, 7c 

And carols roared with blithesome din ; 

If unmelodious was the song, 

It was a hearty note and strong. 

Who lists may in their mumming see 

Traces of ancient mystery ; 

White shirts supplied the masquerade, 

And smutted cheeks the visors made ; 

But oh ! what maskers, richly dight, 

Can boast of bosoms half so light ! 

England was merry England when 80 

Old Christmas brought his sports again. 

'Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale, 

'T was Christmas told the merriest tale ; 

A Christmas gambol oft could cheer 

The poor man's heart through half the year. 



l82 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 

Still linger in our northern clime 
Some remnants of the good old time, 
And still within our valleys here 
We hold the kindred tide dear, 
Even when, perchance, its far-fetched claim 90 

To Southron ear sounds empty name ; 
For course of blood, our proverbs deem, 
Is warmer than the mountain-stream. 
And thus my Christmas still I hold 
Where my great-grandsire came of old, 
With amber beard and flaxen hair 
And reverend apostolic air. 
The feast and holy-tide to share. 
And mix sobriety with wine, 

And honest mirth with tlioughts divine : 100 

Small thought was his, in after time 
E'er to be hitched into a rhyme. 
The simple sire could only boast 
That he was loyal to his cost. 
The banished race of kings revered. 
And lost his land, — but kept his beard. 



In these dear halls, where welcome kind 
Is with fair liberty combined. 
Where cordial friendship gives the hand. 
And flies constraint the magic wand 
Of the fair dame that rules the land, 
Little we heed the tempest drear. 
While music, mirth, and social cheer 
Speed on their wings the passing year. 
And Mertoun's halls are fair e'en now. 
When not a leaf is on the bough. 
Tweed loves them well, and turns again, 
As loath to leave the sweet domain. 



INTRODUCl'ION TO CANTO SIXTH. 183 

And holds his mirror to her face, 

And clips her with a close embrace : — 120 

Gladly as he we seek the dome, 

And as reluctant turn us home. 



How just that at this time of glee 
My thoughts should, Heber, turn to thee ! 
For many a merry hour we 've known, 
And heard the chimes of midnight's tone. 
Cease, then, my friend ! a moment cease. 
And leave these classic tomes in peace ! 
Of Roman and of Cirecian lore 

Sure mortal brain can hold no more. 130 

These ancients, as Noll Bluff might say, 
' Were pretty fellows in their day,' 
But time and tide o'er all prevail — 
On Christmas eve a Christmas tale — 
Of wonder and of war — ' Profane ! 
What ! leave the lofty Latian strain. 
Her stately prose, her verse's charms, 
To hear the clash of rusty arms ; 
In Fairy-land or I.imbo lost, 

To jostle conjurer and ghost, 140 

Goblin and witch ! ' — Nay, Heber dear, 
Before you touch my charter, hear ; 
Though Leyden aids, alas ! no more. 
My cause with many-languaged lore, 
This may I say : — in realms of death 
Ulysses meets Alcides' wraith, 
^neas upon Thracia's shore 
The ghost of murdered Polydore ; 
For omens, we in Livy cross 

At every turn locutus Bos. 150 

As grave and duly speaks that o\ 
As if he told the price of stocks, 



1 84 INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 

Or held in Rome republican 

The place of Common-councilman. 

All nations have their omens drear, 
Their legends wild of woe and fear. 
To Cambria look — the peasant see 
Bethink him of Glendowerdy 
And shun ' the Spirit's Blasted Tree.' — 
The Highlander, whose red claymore 
The battle turned on Maida's shore, 
Will on a Friday morn look pale, 
If asked to tell a fairy tale : 
He fears the vengeful Elfin King, 
Who leaves that day his grassy ring ; 
Invisible to human ken, 
He walks among the sons of men. 

Didst e'er, dear Heber, pass along 
Beneath the towers of Franch^mont, 
Which, like an eagle's nest in air, 
Hang o'er the stream and hamlet fair? 
Deep in their vaults, the peasants say, 
A mighty treasure buried lay, 
Amassed through rapine and through wrong 
By the last Lord of Franchemont. 
The iron chest is bolted hard, 
A huntsman sits its constant guard ; 
Around his neck his horn is hung. 
His hanger in his belt is slung ; 
Before his feet his bloodhounds lie : 
An 't were not for his gloomy eye. 
Whose withering glance no heart can brook, 
As true a huntsman doth he look 
As bugle e'er in brake did sound, 
, Or ever hallooed to a hound. 



INTRODUCTIOy TO CAXTO SIXTH. 1S5 

To chase the fiend and win the prize 

In that same dungeon ever tries 

An aged necromantic priest ; 

It is an hundred years at least 

Since 'twixt them first the strife begun, 190 

And neither yet has lost nor won. 

And oft the conjurer's words will make 

The stubborn demon groan and quake ; 

And oft the bands of iron break, 

Or bursts one lock that still amain. 

Fast as 't is opened, shuts again. 

That magic strife within the tomb 

May last until the day of doom, 

Unless the adept shall learn to tell 

The very word that clenched the spell 200 

When Franch'mont locked the treasure cell. 

An hundred years are passed and gone, 

And scarce three letters has he won. 

Such general superstition may 
Excuse for old Pitscottie say, 
Whose gossip history has given 
My song the messenger from heaven 
That warned, in Lithgow, Scotland's king, 
Nor less the infernal summoning ; 
May pass the Monk of Durham's tale, ^lo 

Whose demon fought in (iothic mail ; 
May pardon plead for Fordun grave, 
Who told of Clifford's Goblin-Cave. 
But why such instances to you. 
Who in an instant can renew 
Your treasured hoards of various lore, 
And furnish twenty thousand more? 
Hoards, not like theirs whose volumes rest 
Like treasures in the Franch'mont chest. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 

While gripple owners still refuse 
To others what they cannot use ; 
Give them the priest's whole century, 
They shall not spell you letters three, — 
Their pleasure in the books the same 
The magpie takes in pilfered gem. 
Thy volumes, open as thy heart, 
Delight, amusement, science, art, 
To every ear and eye impart ; 
Yet who, of all who thus employ them. 
Can like the owner's self enjoy them ? — 
But, hark ! I hear the distant drum ! 
The day of Flodden Field is come, — 
Adieu, dear Heber 1 life and health, 
And store of Hterary wealth. 





TANTALLON CASTLE. 



CANTO SIXTH. 



THE BATTLE 



While great events were on the gale, 
And each hour brought a varying tale, 
And the demeanor, changed and cold, 
Of Douglas fretted Marmion bold, 
And, like the impatient steed of war, 
He snuffed the battle from afar. 



MAKMION. CANTO VI. 

And hopes were none that back again 

Herald should come from Teroiienne, 

Where England's king in leaguer lay, 

Before decisive batde-day, — lo 

While these things were, the mournful Clare 

Did in the dame's devotions share ; 

For the good countess ceaseless prayed 

To Heaven and saints her sons to aid, 

And with short interval did pass 

From prayer to book, from book to mass, 

And all in high baronial pride, — 

A life both dull and dignified : 

Yet, as Lord Marmion nothing pressed 

Upon her intervals of rest, 20 

Dejected Clara well could bear 

The formal state, the lengthened prayer. 

Though dearest to her wounded heart 

The hours that she might spend apart. 



I said Tantallon's dizzy steep 

Hung o'er the margin of the deep. 

Many a rude tower and rampart there 

Repelled the insult of the air. 

Which, when the tempest vexed the sky, 

Half breeze, half spray, came whistling by. 

Above the rest a turret square 

Did o'er its Gothic entrance bear, 

Of sculpture rude, a stony shield ; 

The Bloody Heart was in the field. 

And in the chief three mullets stood, 

The cognizance of Douglas blood. 

The turret held a narrow stair, 

Which, mounted, gave you access where 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 189 

A parapet's embattled row 

Did seaward round the castle go. 40 

Sometimes in dizzy steps descending, 

Sometimes in narrosv circuit bending, 

Sometimes in platform broad extending, 

Its varying circle did combine 

Bulwark, and bartizan, and line. 

And bastion, tower, and vantage-coign. 

Above the booming ocean leant 

The far-projecting batdement ; 

The billows burst in ceaseless flow 

Upon the precipice below. 50 

Where'er Tantallon faced the land. 

Gate-works and walls were strongly manned ; 

No need upon the sea-girt side : 

The steepy rock and frantic tide 

Approach of human step denied, 

And thus these lines and ramparts rude 

Were left in deepest solitude. 



III. 



And, for they were so lonely, Clare 

Would to these battlements repair, 

And muse upon her sorrows there, 60 

And list the sea-bird's cry, 
Or slow, like noontide ghost, would glide 
Along the dark- gray bulwarks' side, 
And ever on the heaving tide 

Look down with weary eye. 
Oft did the cliff and swelling main 
Recall the thoughts of Whitby's fane, — 
A home she ne'er might see again ; 

For she had laid adown. 



190 MAR MI ON. CANTO VI. 

So Douglas bade, the hood and veil, 70 

And frontlet of the cloister pale, 

And Benedictine gown : 
It were unseemly sight, he said, 
A novice out of convent shade. — 
Now her bright locks with sunny glow 
Again adorned her brow of snow ; 
Her mantle rich, whose borders round 
A deep and fretted broidery bound, 
In golden foldings sought the ground ; 
Of holy ornament, alone 80 

Remained a cross with ruby stone ; 

And often did she look 
On that which in her hand she bore, 
With velvet bound and broidered o'er. 

Her breviary book. 
In such a place, so lone, so grim. 
At dawning pale or twilight dim. 

It fearful would have been 
To meet a form so richly dressed, 
With book in hand, and cross on breast, go 

And such a woful mien. 
Fitz-Eustace, loitering with his bow. 
To practise on the gull and crow. 
Saw her at distance gliding slow. 

And did by Mary swear 
Some lovelorn fay she might have been. 
Or in romance some spell-bound queen. 
For ne'er in work-day world was seen 

A form so witching fair. 



IV. 



Once walking thus at evening tide 
It chanced a gliding sail she spied, 



CANTO vr. 



THE BATTLE. 



191 




And sighing thought — ' The abbess there 
Perchance does to her home repair ; 
Her peaceful rule, where Duty free 
Walks hand in hand with ("harity, 
Where oft Devotion's tranced glow 
Can such a glimpse of heaven bestow 
That the enraptured sisters see 
High vision and deep mystery, — 
The very form of Hilda fair, 
Hovering upon the sunny air 
And smiling on her votaries' prayer. 
Oh : wherefore to my duller eye 
Did still the Saint her form deny ? 



192 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

Was it that, seared by sinful scorn, 
My heart could neither melt nor burn ? 
Or lie my warm affections low 
With him that taught them first to glow ? 
Yet, gentle abbess, well I knew 
To pay thy kindness grateful due, 120 

And well could brook the mild command 
That ruled thy simple maiden band. 
How different now, condemned to bide 
My doom from this dark tyrant's pride ! — 
But Marmion has to learn ere long 
That constant mind and hate of wrong 
Descended to a feeble girl 
- From Red de Clare, stout Gloster's Earl : 
Of such a stem a sapling weak, 
He ne'er shall bend, although he break. 130 

V. 

' But see I — what makes this armor here ? ' — 

For in her path there lay 
Targe, corselet, helm ; — she viewed them near. — 
' The breastplate pierced ! — Ay, much I fear, 
Weak fence wert thou 'gainst foeman's spear. 
That hath made fatal entrance here, 

As these dark blood-gouts say. — 
Thus Wilton ! — Oh ! not corselet's ward, 
Not truth, as diamond pure and hard. 
Could be thy manly bosom's guard .40 

On yon disastrous day ! ' — 
She raised her eyes in mournful mood, — 
Wilton himself before her stood ! 
It might have seemed his passing ghost. 
For every youthful grace was lost, 
And joy unwonted and surprise 
Gave their strange wildness to his eyes. — 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 1 93 

Expect not, noble dames and lords, 

That I can tell such scene in words : 

What skilful limner e'er would choose 150 

To paint the rainbow's varying hues, 

Unless to mortal it were given 

To dip his brush in dyes of heaven ? 

Far less can my weak line declare 

Each changing passion's shade : 
Brightening to rapture from despair, 
Sorrow, surprise, and pity there. 
And joy with her angelic air. 
And hope that paints the future fair. 

Their varying hues displayed ; 160 

•Each o'er its rival's ground extending. 
Alternate conquering, shifting, blending. 
Till all fatigued the conflict yield, 
And mighty love retains the field. 
Shortly I tell what then he said, 
. By many a tender word delayed. 
And modest blush, and bursting sigh. 
And question kind, and fond reply : — 



VI. 

DE Wilton's history. 

' Forget we that disastrous day 
When senseless in the lists I lay. 

Thence dragged, — but how I cannot know, 

For sense and recollection fled, — 
I found me on a pallet low 

Within my ancient beadsman's shed. 
Austin, — remember'st thou, my Clare, 
How thou didst blush when the old man, 
When first our infant love began. 



194 MARMION. canto vi. 

Said we would make a matchless pair? — 
Menials and friends and kinsmen fled 
From the degraded traitor's bed, — iSo 

He only held my burning head, 
And tended me for many a day 
While wounds and fever held their sway. 
But far more needful was his care 
When sense returned to wake despair ; 

For I did tear the closing wound, 

And dash me frantic on the ground, 
If e'er I heard the name of Clare. 
At length, to calmer reason brought. 
Much by his kind attendance wrought, 190 

With him I left my native strand, 
And, in a palmer's weeds arrayed, 
My hated name and form to shade, 

I journeyed many a land. 
No more a lord of rank and birth, 
But mingled with the dregs of earth. 

Oft Austin for my reason feared. 
When I would sit, and deeply brood 
On dark revenge and deeds of blood. 

Or wild mad schemes upreared. 200 

My friend at length fell sick, and said 

God would remove him soon ; 
And while upon his dying bed 

He begged of me a boon — 
If e'er my deadliest enemy 
Beneath my brand should conquered lie, 
Even then my mercy should awake 
And spare his life for Austin's sake. 

VII. 

' Still restless as a second Cain, 

To Scotland next my route was ta'en, 21c 



CAx\TO VI. THE BATTLE. 1 95 

Full well the paths I knew. 
Fame of my fate made various sound, 
That death in pilgrimage I found, 
That I had perished of my wound, — 

None cared which tale was true ; 
And living eye could never guess 
De Wilton in his palmer's dress, 
For now that sable slough is shed, 
And trimmed my shaggy beard and head, 
I scarcely know me in the glass. 220 

A chance most wondrous did provide 
That I should be that baron's guide — 

I will not name his name ! — 
Vengeance to God alone belongs ; 
But, when I think on all my wrongs, 

My blood is liquid flame ! 
And ne'er the time shall I forget 
When, in a Scottish hostel set, 

Dark looks we did exchange : 
What were his thoughts I cannot tell, 
But in my bosom mustered Hell 

Its plans of dark revenge. 



VIII. 

' A word of vulgar augury 

That broke from me, I scarce knew why. 

Brought on a village tale. 
Which wrought upon his moody sprite, 
And sent him armed forth by night. 

I borrowed steed and mail 
And weapons from his sleeping band ; 

And, passing from a postern door, 240 

We met and 'countered, hand to hand, — 

He fell on Gifford-moor. 



230 



196 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

For the death-stroke my brand I drew, — 
Oh ! then my hehned head he knew, 

The pahner's cowl was gone, — 
Then had three mches of my blade 
The heavy debt of vengeance paid, — 
My hand the thought of Austin stayed ; 

I left him there alone. — 
O good old man ! even from the grave 250 

Thy spirit could thy master save : 
If I had slain my foeman, ne'er 
Had Whitby's abbess in her fear 
Given to my hand this packet dear. 
Of power to clear my injured fame 
And vindicate De Wilton's name. — 
Perchance you heard the abbess tell 
Of the strange pageantry of hell 

That broke our secret speech — 
It rose from the infernal shade, 260 

Or featly was some juggle played, 

A tale of peace to teach. 
Appeal to Heaven I judged was best 
When my name came among the rest. 

IX. 

^ Now here within Tantallon hold 

To Douglas late my tale I told. 

To whom my house was known of old. 

Won -by my proofs, his falchion bright 

This eve anew shall dub me knight. 

These were the arms that once did turn 270 

The tide of fight on Otterburne, 

And Harry Hotspur forced to yield 

When the Dead Douglas won the field. 

These Angus gave — his armorer's care 

Ere morn shall every breach repair ; 



CANTO VI. . THE BATTLE. 197 

For nought, he said, was in his halls 

But ancient armor on the walls. 

And aged chargers in the stalls, 

And women, priests, and gray-haired men ; 

The rest were all in Twisel glen. 280 

And now I watch my armor here, 

By law of arms, till midnight 's near ; 

Then, once again a belted knight. 

Seek Surrey's camp with dawn of light. 



X. 



* There soon again we meet, my Clare ! 

This baron means to guide thee there : 

Douglas reveres his king's command. 

Else would he take thee from his band. 

And there thy kinsman Surrey, too, 

Will give De Wilton justice due. 290 

Now meeter far for martial broil. 

Firmer my limbs and strung by toil. 

Once more ' — ' O Wilton ! must we then 

Risk new-found happiness again. 

Trust fate of arms once more ? 
And is there not an humble glen 

Where we, content and poor. 
Might build a cottage in the shade, 
A shepherd thou, and I to aid 

Thy task on dale and moor ? — 300 

That reddening brow ! — too well I know 
Not even thy Clare can peace bestow 

While falsehood stains thy name : 
Go then to fight ! Clare bids thee go ! 
Clare can a warrior's feelings know 

And weep a warrior's shame, 



iqS mar mi on. canto VI. 

Can Red Earl Gilbert's spirit feel, 
Buckle the spurs upon thy heel 
And belt thee with thy brand of steel, 

And send thee forth to fame ! ' 310 

XI. 

That night upon the rocks and bay 
The midnight moonbeam slumbering lay, 
And poured its silver light and pure 
Through loophole and through embrasure 

Upon Tantallon tower and hall ; 
But chief where arched windows wide 
Illuminate the chapel's pride 

The sober glances fall. 
Much was there need ; though seamed with scars. 
Two veterans of the Douglas' wars, 320 

Though two gray priests were there, 
And each a blazing torch held high. 
You could not by their blaze descry 

The chapel's carving fair. 
Amid that dim and smoky Hght, 
Checkering the silvery moonshine bright, 

A bishop by the altar stood, 

A noble lord of Douglas blood, 
With mitre sheen and rochet white. 
Yet showed his meek and thoughtful eye 330 

But little pride of prelacy ; 
More pleased that in a barbarous age 
He gave rude Scotland Virgil's page 
Than that beneath his rule he held 
The bishopric of fair Dunkeld. 
Beside him ancient Angus stood, 
Doffed his furred gown and sable hood ; 
O'er his huge form and visage pale 
He wore a cap and shirt of mail, 



CANTO vr. THE BATTLE. 1 99 

And leaned his large and wrinkled hand 340 

Upon the huge and sweeping brand 
Which wont of yore in battle fray 
His foeman's limbs to shred away, 
As wood-knife lops the sapling spray. 

He seemed as, from the the tombs around 
Rising at judgment-day, 

Some giant Douglas may be found 
In all his old array ; 
So pale his face, so huge his limb. 
So old his arms, his look so grim. 350 



XII. 

Then at the altar Wilton kneels, 
And Clare the spurs bound on his heels ; 
And think what next he must have felt 
At buckling of the falchion belt ! 

And judge how Clara changed her hue 
While fastening to her lover's side 
A friend, which, though in danger tried, 

He once had found untrue ! 
Then Douglas struck him with his blade : 
' Saint Michael and Saint Andrew aid, 360 

I dub thee knight. 
Arise, Sir Ralph, De Wilton's heir ! 
For king, for church, for lady fair. 

See that thou fight.' 
And Bishop Gawain, as he rose, 
Said : ' Wilton ! grieve not for thy woes, 

Disgrace, and trouble ; 
For He who honor best bestows 

May give thee double.' 
De Wilton sobbed, for sob he must : 370 

* Where'er I meet a Douglas, trust 



200 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

That Douglas is my brother ! ' 
' Nay, nay,' old Angus said, ' not so ; 
To Surrey's camp thou now must go, 

Thy wrongs no longer smother. 
I have two sons in yonder field ; 
And, if thou meet'st them under shield. 
Upon them bravely — do thy worst, 
And foul fall him that blenches first ! ' 



XIII. 

Not far advanced was morning day 380 

When Marmion did his troop array 

To Surrey's camp to ride ; 
He had safe-conduct for his band 
Beneath the royal seal and hand. 

And Douglas gave a guide. 
The ancient earl with stately grace 
Would Clara on her palfrey place. 
And whispered in an undertone, 
' Let the hawk stoop, his prey is flown.' 
The train from out the castle drew, 390 

But Marmion stopped to bid adieu : 

'Though something I might plain,' he said, 
' Of cold respect to stranger guest, 
Sent hither by your king's behest, 

While in Tantallon's towers I stayed. 
Part we in friendship from your land, 
And, noble earl, receive my hand.' — 
But Douglas round him drew his cloak. 
Folded his arms, and thus he spoke : — . 
' My manors, halls, and bowers shall still 400 

Be open at my sovereign's will 
To each one whom he lists, howe'er 
Unmeet to be the owner's peer. 



CANTO VI. 



THE BATTLE. 201 



My castles are my king's alone, 
From turret -to foundation-stone — 
The hand of Douglas is his own, 
And never shall in friendly grasp 
The hand of such as Marmion clasp. 



XIV. 



Burned Marmion's swarthy cheek like fire 

And shook his very frame for ire, 410 

And — ' This to me ! ' he said, 
' An 't were not for thy hoar)' beard. 
Such hand as Marmion's had not spared 

To clea\e the Douglas' head ! 
And first I tell thee, haughty peer, 
He who does England's message here, 
Although the meanest in her state, 
May well, proud Angus, be thy mate ; 
And, Douglas, more I tell thee here. 

Even in thy pitch of pride, 420 

Here in thy hold, thy vassals near, — 
Nay, never look upon your lord, 
And lay your hands upon your sword, — 

I tell thee, thou 'rt defied ! 
And if thou saidst I am not peer 
To any lord in Scotland here. 
Lowland or Highland, far or near, 

Lord Angus, thou hast lied ! ' 
On the earl's cheek the flush of rage 
O'ercame the ashen hue of age : 430 

Fierce he broke forth, — ' And darest thou then 
To beard the lion in his den, 

The Douglas in his hall? 
And hopest thou hence unscathed to go ? — 



202 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

No, by Saint Bride of Bothwell, no ! 

Up drawbridge, grooms — what, warder, ho ! 

Let the portcullis fall.' — 
Lord Marmion turned, — well was his need, — 
And dashed the rowels in his steed. 
Like arrow through the archway sprung, 440 

The ponderous grate behind him rung ; 
To pass there was such scanty room. 
The bars descending razed his plume. 



XV. 

The steed along the drawbridge flies 

Just as it trembled on the rise ; 

Not lighter does the swallow skim 

Along the smooth lake's level brim : 

And when Lord Marmion reached his band. 

He halts, and turns with clenched hand, 

And shout of loud defiance pours, 450 

And shook his gauntlet at the towers. 

' Horse ! horse ! ' the Douglas cried, ' and chase ! ' 

But soon he reined his fury's pace : 

' A royal messenger he came. 

Though most unworthy of the name. — 

A letter forged ! Saint Jude to speed ! 

Did ever knight so foul a deed ? 

At first in heart it liked me ill 

When the king praised his clerkly skill. 

Thanks to Saint Bothan, son of mine, 460 

Save Gawain, ne'er could pen a line ; 

So swore I, and I swear it still. 

Let my boy-bishop fret his fill. — 

Saint Mary mend my fiery mood ! 

Old age ne'er cools the Douglas blood, 

I thought to slay him where he stood. 



CANTO VI. THE ISA TTLE. 2O3 

'Tis pity of him too,' he cried : 

' Bold can he speak and fairly ride, 

I warrant him a warrior tried.' 

With this his mandate he recalls, 470 

And slowly seeks his castle halls. 



XVI . 

The day in Marmion's journey wore ; 

Yet, ere his passion's gust was o'er, 

They crossed the heights of Stanrig-moor. 

His troop more closely there he scanned, 

And missed the Palmer from the band. 

' Palmer or not,' young Blount did say, 

' He parted at the peep of day ; 

Good sooth, it was in strange array.' 

' In what array ? ' said Marmion quick. 480 

' My lord, I ill can spell the trick ; 

But all night long with clink and bang 

Close to my couch did hammers clang ; 

At dawn the falling drawbridge rang. 

And from a loophole while I peep, 

Old Bell-the-Cat came from the keep. 

Wrapped in a gown of sables fair, 

As fearful of the morning air ; 

Beneath, when that was blown aside, 

A rusty shirt of mail I spied, 490 

By Archibald won in bloody work 

Against the Saracen and Turk : 

Last night it hung not in the hall ; 

I thought some mar\el would befall. 

And next I saw them saddled lead 

Old Cheviot forth, the earl's best steed, 

A matchless horse, though something old, 

Prompt in his paces, cool and bold. 



204 MARMION. CANTO vr. 

I heard the Sheriff Sholto say 

The earl did much the Master pray 500 

To use him on the batde-day, 

But he preferred ' — ' Nay, Henry, cease ! 

Thou sworn horse-courser, hold thy peace. — 

Eustace, thou bear'st a brain — I pray, 

What did Blount see at break of day ? ' — 

XVII. 

* In brief, my lord, we both descried — 
For then I stood by Henry's side — 
The Palmer mount and outwards ride 

Upon the earl's own favorite steed. 
All sheathed he was in armor bright, 510 

And much resembled that same knight 
Subdued by you in Cotswold fight ; 

Lord Angus wished him speed.' — 
The instant that Fitz-Eustace spoke, 
A sudden light on Marmion broke : — 

* Ah ! dastard fool, to reason lost ! ' 

He muttered ; ' 'T was nor fay nor ghost 
I met upon the moonlight wold, 
But living man of earthly mould. — 

O dotage blind and gross ! 520 

Had I but fought as wont, one thrust 
Had laid De Wilton in the dust, 

My path no more to cross. — 
How stand we now? — he told his tale 
To Douglas, and with some avail ; 

'T was therefore gloomed his rugged brow. — 
Will Surrey dare to entertain 
'Gainst Marmion charge disproved and vain ? 

Small risk of that, I trow. 
Yet Clare's sharp questions must I shun, 530 

Must separate Constance from the nun — ; 



CA.\TO VI. THE BA TTLE. 205 



Oh ! what a tangled web wc weave 



When first we practise to deceive ! 
A Pahiier too ! — no wonder why 
I felt rebuked beneath his eye ; 
I might have known there was but one 
Whose look could quell Lord Marmion.' 



XVIII. 

Stung with these thoughts, he urged to speed 
His troop, and reached at eve the Tweed, 
Where Lennel's convent closed their march. — 540 
There Viow is left but one frail arch. 

Yet mourn thou not its cells ; 
Our time a fair exchange has made : 
Hard by, in hospitable shade, 

A reverend pilgrim dwells. 
Well worth the whole Bernardine brood 
That e'er wore sandal, frock, or hood. — 
Yet did Saint Bernard's abbot there 
Give Marmion entertainment fair, 
And lodging for his train and Clare. 550 

Next morn the baron climbed the tower. 
To view afar the Scottish power, 

Encamped on Flodden edge ; 
The white pavilions made a show 
Like remnants of the winter snow 

Along the dusky ridge. 
Long Marmion looked : — at length his eye 
Unusual movement might descry 

Amid the shifting lines ; 
The Scottish host drawn out appears, 560 

For, flashing on the hedge of spears. 

The eastern sunbeam shines. 
Their front now deepening, now extending, 



206 



MARMION, 



CANTO VI. 




TWISEL BRIDGK. 



Their flank inclining, wheeling, bending, 
Now drawing back, and now descending, 
The skilful Marmion well could know 
They watched the motions of some foe 
Who traversed on the plain below. 



XIX. 

Even so it was. From Flodden ridge 
The Scots beheld the English host 
Leave Barmore-wood, their evening post. 
And heedful watched them as they crossed 

The Till by Twisel Bridge. 



570 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 207 

High sight it is and haughty, while 

They dive into the deep defile ; 

Beneath the caverned cliff they fall, 

Beneath the castle's airy wall. 
By rock, by oak, by hawthorn-tree, 

Troop after troop are disappearing ; 

Troop after troop their banners rearing 5S0 

Upon the eastern bank yon see ; 
Still pouring down the rocky den 

Where flows the sullen Till, 
And rising from the dim-wood glen, 
Standards on standards, men on men. 

In slow succession still. 
And sweeping o'er the Gothic arch, 
And pressing on, in ceaseless march. 

To gain the opposing hill. 
That morn, to many a trumpet clang, 590 

Twisel ! thy rock's deep echo rang ; 
And many a chief of birth and rank, 
Saint Helen ! at thy fountain drank. 
Thy hawthorn glade, which now we see 
In spring-tide bloom so lavishly, 
Had then from many an axe its doom, 
To give the marching columns room. 

XX. 

And why stands Scotland idly now. 

Dark Flodden ! on thy airy brow. 

Since England gains the pass the while, 606 

And struggles through the deep defile ? 

What checks the fiery soul of James ? 

Why sits that champion of the dames 

Inactive on his steed. 
And sees, between him and his land. 
Between him and Tweed's southern strand, 



2o8 MARMION. 



CANTO VI. 



His host Lord Surrey lead ? 
What vails the vain knight-errant's brand? — 
O Douglas, for thy leading wand ! 

Fierce Randolph, for thy speed ! 6io 

Oh ! for one hour of Wallace wight, 
Or well-skilled Bruce, to rule the fight 
And cry, ' Saint Andrew and our right ! ' 
Another sight had seen that morn, 
From Fate's dark book a leaf been torn, 
And Flodden had been Bannockbourne ! — 
The precious hour has passed in vain, 
And England's host has gained the plain. 
Wheeling their march and circling still 
Around the base of Flodden hill. 620 

XXI. 

Ere yet the bands met Marmion's eye, 
Fitz-Eustace shouted loud and high, 
' Hark ! hark ! my lord, an English drum ! 
And see ascending squadrons come 

Between Tweed's river and the hill. 
Foot, horse, and cannon ! Hap what hap, 
My basnet to a prentice cap, 

Lord Surrey 's o'er the Till ! — 
Yet more ! yet more ! — how fair arrayed 
They file from out the hawthorn shade, 630 

And sweep so gallant by ! 
With all their banners bravely spread, 

And all their armor flashing high. 
Saint George might waken from the dead, 

To see fair England's standards fly.' — 
' Stint in thy prate,' quoth Blount, ' thou 'dst best, 
And Hsten to our lord's behest.' — 
With kindling brow Lord Marmion said, 
' This instant be our band arrayed ; 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 209 

The river must be quickly crossed, 640 

That we may join Lord Surrey's host. 

If fight King James, — as well I trust 

That fight he will, and fight he must, — 

The Lady Clare behind our lines 

Shall tarry while the battle joins.' 



XXII. 

Himself he swift on horseback threw, 

Scarce to the abbot bade adieu, 

Far less would listen to his prayer 

To leave behind the helpless Clare. 

Down to the Tweed his band he drew, 650 

And muttered as the flood they view, 

' The pheasant in the falcon's claw, 

He scarce will yield to please a daw ; 

Lord Angus may the abbot awe, 

So Clare shall bide with me.' 
Then on that dangerous ford and deep 
Where to the Tweed Leat's eddies creep 

He ventured desperately : 
And not a moment will he bide 
Till squire or groom before him ride ; 660 

Headmost of all he stems the tide, 

And stems it gallantly. 
Eustace held Clare upon her horse, 

Old Hubert led her rein, 
Stoutly they braved the current's course, 
And, though far downward driven perforce. 

The southern bank they gain. 
Behind them straggling came to shore, 

As best they might, the train : 
Each o'er his head his yew-bow bore, 6;o 

A caution not in vain ; 



2IO MAR Alio N. CANTO VI. 




^^^''' 



Deep need that day that every string, 
By wet unharmed, should sharply ring. 
A moment then Lord Marmion stayed, 
And breathed his steed, his men arrayed, 

Then forward moved his band, 
Until, Lord Surrey's rear-guard won. 
He halted by a cross of stone, 
That on a hillock standing lone 

Did all the field command. 680 



XXIII. 

Hence might they see the full array 

Of either host for deadly fray ; 

Their marshalled lines stretched east and west. 

And fronted north and south. 
And distant salutation passed 

From the loud cannon mouth ; 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 211 

Not in the close successive rattle 

That breathes the voice of modern battle, 

But slow and far between. 
The hillock gained, Lord Marmion stayed : 690 

* Here, by this cross,' he gently said, 

' You well may view the scene. 
Here shalt thou tarry, lovely Clare : 
Oh ! think of Marmion in thy prayer ! — 
Thou wilt not? — well, no less my care 
Shall, watchful, for thy weal prepare. — 
You, Blount and pAistace, are her guard, 

With ten picked archers of my train ; 
With luigland if the day go hard. 

To Berwick speed amain. — 700 

But if we conciuer, cruel maid, 
My spoils shall at your feet be laid, 

When here we meet again.' 
He waited not for answer there, 
And would not mark the maid's despair, 

Nor heed the discontented look 
From either squire, but spurred amain, 
And, dashing through the battle-plain, 

His way to Surrey took. 



XXIV. 

' The good Lord Marmion, by my life ! 710 

Welcome to danger's hour ! — 
Short greeting serves in time of strife. — 

Thus have I ranged my power : 
Myself will rule this central host. 

Stout Stanley fronts their right. 
My sons command the waward post. 

With Brian Tunstnll, stainless knight ; 

Lord Uacre, with his horsemen light, 



212 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

Shall be in rearward of the fight, 
And succor those that need it most. 720 

Now, gallant Marmion, well I know, 

Would gladly to the vanguard go ; 
Edmund, the Admiral, Tunstall there. 
With thee their charge will blithely share ; 
There fight thine own retainers too 
Beneath De Burg, thy steward true.' 
' Thanks, noble Surrey ! ' Marmion said, 
Nor further greeting there he paid, 
But, parting like a thunderbolt, 
First in the vanguard made a halt, 730 

Where such a shout there rose 
Of ' Marmion ! Marmion ! ' that the cry, 
Up Flodden mountain shrilling high, 

Starded the Scottish foes. 

XXV. 

Blount and Fitz-Eustace rested still 

With Lady Clare upon the hill. 

On which — for far the day was spent — 

The western sunbeams now were bent ; 

The cry they heard, its meaning knew, 

Could plain their distant comrades view : 740 

Sadly to Blount did Eustace say, 

' Unworthy ofhce here to stay ! 

No hope of gilded spurs to-day. — 

But see ! look up — on Flodden bent 

The Scottish foe has fired his tent.' 

And sudden, as he spoke. 
From the sharp ridges of the hill. 
All downward to the banks of Till, 

Was wreathed in sable smoke. 
Volumed and vast, and rolling far, 750 

The cloud enveloped Scotland's war 



CANTO vr. rilE BATTLE. 213 

As down the hill they broke ; 
Nor martial shout, nor minstrel tone, 
Announced their march ; their tread alone, 
At times one warning trumpet blown, 

At times a stifled hum, 
Told England, from his mountain-throne 

King James did rushing come. 
Scarce could they hear or see their foes 
Until at weapon-point they close. — 760 

They close in clouds of smoke and dust, 
With sword-sway and with lance's thrust ; 

And such a yell was there. 
Of sudden and portentous birth, 
As if men fought upon the earth, 

And fiends in upper air ; 
Oh ! life and death were in the shout, 
Recoil and rally, charge and rout, 

And triumph and despair. 
Long looked the anxious squires ; their eye 77° 

Could in the darkness nought descry. 

XXVI. 

At length the freshening western blast 

Aside the shroud of battle cast ; 

And first the ridge of mingled spears 

Above the brightening cloud appears, 

And in the smoke the pennons flew. 

As in the storm the white seamew. 

Then marked they, dashing broad and far. 

The broken billows of the war, 

And plumed crests of chieftains brave 780 

Floating like foam upon the wave ; 

But nought distinct they see : 
Wide raged the battle on the plain ; 
Spears shook and falchions flashed amain ; 



214 M ARM I ON. CANTO VI. 

Fell England's arrow-flight like rain ; 
Crests rose, and stooped, and rose again, 

Wild and disorderly. 
Amid the scene of tumult, high 
They saw Lord Marmion's falcon fly ; 
And stainless Tunstall's banner white, 790 

And Edmund Howard's lion bright. 
Still bear them bravely in the fight. 

Although against them come 
Of gallant Gordons many a one, 
And many a stubborn Badenoch-man, 
And many a rugged Border clan, 

With Huntly and with Home. 

XXVII. 

Far on the left, unseen the while, 

Stanley broke Lennox and Argyle, 

Though there the western mountaineer 800 

Rushed with bare bosom on the spear. 

And flung the feeble targe aside, 

And with both hands the broadsword plied. 

'T was vain. — But Fortune, on the right, 

With fickle smile cheered Scotland's fight. 

Then fell that spotless banner white. 

The Howard's lion fell ; 
Yet still Lord Marmion's falcon flew 
With wavering flight, while fiercer grew 

Around the battle-yell. 810 

The Border slogan rent the sky ! 
A Home ! a Gordon ! was the cry : 

Loud were the clanging blows ; 
Advanced, — forced back, — now low, now high, 

The pennon sunk and rose ; 
As bends the bark's mast in the gale, 
When rent are rigging, shrouds, and sail, 



CANTO VI. THE BATV'LE. 215 

It wavered mid the foes. 
No longer Blount the view could bear : 
* By heaven and all its saints ! I swear 820 

I will not see it lost ! 
Fitz- Eustace, you with Lady Clare 
May bid your beads and patter prayer, — 

I gallop to the host.* 
And to the fray he rode amain, 
Followed by all the archer train. 
The fiery youth, with desperate charge, 
Made for a space an opening large, — 

The rescued banner rose, — 
But darkly closed the war around, 830 

Like pine-tree rooted from the ground 

It sank among the foes. 
Then Eustace mounted too, — yet stayed. 
As loath to leave the helpless maid, 

When, fast as shaft can fly, 
Bloodshot his eyes, his nostrils spread. 
The loose rein dangling from his head. 
Housing and saddle bloody red. 

Lord Marmion's steed rushed by ; 
And Eustace, maddening at the sight, 840 

A look and sign to Clara cast 
To mark he would return in haste, 
Then plunged into the fight. 



XXVIII. 

Ask me not what the maiden feels, 
Left in that dreadful hour alone : 

Perchance her reason stoops or reels ; 
Perchance a courage, not her own, 
Braces her mind to desperate tone. — 

The scattered van of England wheels ; — 



2i6 MARMION. 



CANTO VI. 



She only said, as loud in air 850 

The tumult roared, ' Is Wilton there ? ' — 

They fly, or, maddened by despair. 

Fight but to die, — ' Is Wilton there ? ' 
With that, straight up the hill there rode 

Two horsemen drenched with gore, 
And in their arms, a helpless load, 

A wounded knight they bore. 
His hand still strained the broken brand ; 
His arms were smeared with blood and sand. 
Dragged from among the horses' feet, 860 

With dinted shield and helmet beat. 
The falcon-crest and plumage gone. 
Can that be haughty Marmion ! . . . 
Young Blount his armor did unlace, 
And, gazing on his ghastly face, 

Said, ' By Saint George, he 's gone ! 
That spear-wound has our master sped, 
And see the deep cut on his head ! 

Good-night to Marmion.' — 
' Unnurtured Blount ! thy brawling cease : 870 

He opes his eyes,' said Eustace ; ' peace ! ' 

XXIX. 

When, doffed his casque, he felt free air. 

Around gan Marmion wildly stare : 

' Where 's Harry Blount ? Fitz-Eustace where ? 

Linger ye here, ye hearts of hare ! 

Redeem my pennon, — charge again ! 

Cry, " Marmion to the rescue ! " — Vain ! 

Last of my race, on battle-plain 

That shout shall ne'er be heard again ! — 

Yet my last thought is England's — fly, 880 

To Dacre bear my signet-ring ; 

Tell him his squadrons up to bring. — 



CANTO VI. THE BA TTLE. 217 

Fitz-Eiistace, to Lord Surrey hie : 
Tunstall lies dead upon the field, 
His lifeblood stains the spotless shield ; 
Edmund is down ; my life is reft ; 
The Admiral alone is left. 
Let Stanley charge with spur of fire, — 
With Chester charge, and Lancashire, 
Full upon Scotland's central host, 890 

Or victory and England 's lost. — 
Must I bid twice ? — hence, varlets ! fly ! — 
Leave Marmion here alone — to die.' 
They parted, and alone he lay ; 
Clare drew her from the siglit away. 
Till pain wrung forth a lowly moan, 
And half he murmured, ' Is there none 

Of all my halls have nurst. 
Page, squire, or groom, one cup to bring 
Of blessed water from the spring, 900 

To slake my dying thirst ! ' 



XXX. 

O Woman ! in our hours of ease 
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please. 
And variable as the shade 
By the light quivering aspen made ; 
When pain and anguish wring the brow, 
A ministering angel thou ! — 
Scarce were the piteous accents said, 
When with the baron's casque the maid 

To the nigh streamlet ran : 
Forgot were hatred, wrongs, and fears ; 
The plaintive voice alone she hears, 

Sees but the dying man. 
She stooped her by the runnel's side. 



910 



2i8 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

But ill abhorrence backward drew ; 
For, oozing from the mountain's side 
Where raged the war, a dark-red tide 

Was curdhng in the streamlet blue. 
Where shall she turn ? — behold her mark 

A little fountain cell, 920 

Where water, clear as diamond-spark, 

In a stone basin fell. 
Above, some half-worn letters say, 
©rtnft. biearg. pilgrim, tirinfe. antj. prag. 
Jor. tf)e. kititi. sotil of. .Sibsl. (ireg. 

TOtlo. ijuilt. t^is. cross, anti. todl. 
She filled the helm and back she hied, 
And with surprise and joy espied 

A monk supporting Marmion's head ; 
A pious man, whom duty brought 930 

To dubious verge of battle fought, 

To shrieve the dying, bless the dead. 

XXXI. 

Deep drank Lord Marmion of the wave, 
And, as she stooped his brow to lave — 
' Is it the hand of Clare,' he said, 
' Or injured Coiistance, bathes my head ? ' 

Then, as remembrance rose, — 
' Speak not to me of shrift or prayer ! 

I must redress her woes. 
Short space, few words, are mine to spare ; 940 

Forgive and listen, gentle Clare ! ' — 

' Alas ! ' she said, ^ the while, — 
Oh ! think of your immortal weal ! 
In vain for Constance is your zeal ; 

She — died at Holy Isle.' — 
Lord Marmion started from the ground 
As light as if he felt no wound, 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 219 

Though in the action burst the tide 
In torrents from liis wounded side. 
' Then it was truth,' he said — ' I knew 950 

That the dark presage must be true. — 
I would the Fiend, to whom belongs 
ft The vengeance due to all her wrongs, 
Would spare me but a day ! 
For wasting fire, and dying groan. 
And priests slain on the altar stone, 

Might bribe him for delay. 
It may not be ! — this dizzy trance — 
Curse on yon base marauder's lance, 
And doubly cursed my failing brand ! 960 

A sinful heart makes feeble hand.' 
Then fainting down on earth he sunk. 
Supported by the trembling monk. 



XXXII. 

With fruitless labor Clara bound 

And strove to stanch the gushing wound ; 

The monk with unavailing cares 

Exhausted all the Church's prayers. 

Ever, he said, that, close and near, 

A lady's voice was in his ear, 

And that the priest he could not hear ; 970 

For that she ever sung, 
' /;/ the lost battle, bonie do7vn by the flying, 
Where mingles wars rattle 7vith groans of the dying !' 

So the notes rung. — 
' Avoid thee, Fiend ! — with cruel hand 
Shake not the dying sinner's sand ! — 
Oh ! look, my son, upon yon sign 
Of the Redeemer's grace divine ; 

Oh ! think on faith and bliss ! — 



2 20 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

By many a death-bed I have been, 980 

And many a sinner's parting seen, 

But never aught hke this.' — 
The war, that for a space did fail, 
Now trebly thundering swelled the gale, 

And ' Stanley ! ' was the cry. — 
A light on Marmion's visage spread, 

And fired his glazing eye ; 
With dying hand above his head 
He shook the fragment of his blade, 

And shouted ' Victory ! — 99° 

Charge, Chester, charge ! On, Stanley, on ! ' 
Were the last words of Marmion. 



XXXIII. 

By this, though deep the evening fell, 
Still rose the battle's deadly swell. 
For still the Scots around their king. 
Unbroken, fought in desperate ring. 
Where 's now their victor vaward wing, 

Where Huntly, and where Home ? — 
Oh ! for a blast of that dread horn, 
On Fontarabian echoes borne. 

That to King Charles did come, 
When Rowland brave, and Olivier, 
And every paladin and peer, 

On Roncesvalles died ! 
Such blasts might warn them, not in vain. 
To quit the plunder of the slain 
And turn the doubtful day again. 

While yet on Flodden side 
Afar the Royal Standard flies. 
And round it toils and bleeds and dies 

Our Caledonian pride ! 



CANTO VI. 



yy/A BATTLE. 221 

In vain the wish — for far away, 
While spoil and havoc mark their way, 
Near Sibyl's Cross the plunderers stray. — 
' O lady,' cried the monk, 'away ! ' 

And placed her on her steed. 
And led her to the chapel fair 

Of Tilmouth upon Tweed. 
There all the night they spent in prayer, 
And at the dawn of morning there 1020 

She met her kinsman. Lord Fitz-Clarc. 

XXXIV. 

But as they left the darkening heath 
More desperate grew the strife of death. 
The English shafts in volleys hailed, 
In headlong charge their horse assailed ; 
Front, flank, and rear, the squadrons sweep 
To break the Scottish circle deep 

That fought around their king. 
But yet, though thick the shafts as snow. 
Though charging knights like whirlwinds go, .030 

Though billmen ply the ghasdy blow. 

Unbroken was the ring ; 
The stubborn spearmen still made good 
Their dark impenetrable wood, 
Each stepping where his comrade stood 

The instant that he fell. 
No thought was there of dastard flight ; 
Linked in the serried phalanx tight. 
Groom fought like noble, squire like knight, 

As fearlessly and well, 1040 

Till utter darkness closed her wing 
O'er their tliin host and wounded king. 
Then skilful Surrey's sage commands 
Led back from strife his shattered bands ; 



MARMION. CANTO VI. 

And from the charge they drew, 
As mountain-waves from wasted lands 

Sweep back to ocean blue. 
Then did their loss his foemen know ; 
Their king, their lords, their mightiest low, 
They melted from the field, as snow, 1050 

When streams are swoln and south winds blow, 

Dissolves in silent dew. 
Tweed's echoes heard the ceaseless plash, 

While many a broken band 
Disordered through her currents dash. 

To gain the Scottish land ; 
To town and tower, to down and dale, 
To tell red Flodden's dismal tale. 
And raise the universal wail. 

Tradition, legend, tune, and song 1060 

Shall many an age that wail prolong ; 
Still from the sire the son shall hear 
Of the stern strife and carnage drear 

Of Flodden's fatal field. 
Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear 

And broken was her shield ! 

XXXV. 

Day dawns upon the mountain's side. — 

There, Scotland ! lay thy bravest pride, 

Chiefs, knights, and nobles, many a one ; 

The sad survivors all are gone. — 1070 

View not that corpse mistrustfully, 

Defaced and mangled though it be ; 

Nor to yon Border castle high 

Look northward with upbraiding eye : 

Nor cherish hope in vain 
That, journeying far on foreign strand. 
The Royal Pilgrim to his land 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 223 

May yet return again. 
He saw the wreck his rashness wrought ; 
Reckless of Hfe, he desperate fought, loSo 

And fell on Flodden plain : 
And well in death his trusty brand, 
Finn clenched within his manly hand, 

Beseemed the monarch slain. 
But oh ! how changed since yon blithe night ! — 
Gladly I turn me from the sight 

Unto my tale again. 



XXXVI. 

Short is my tale : — Fitz-Kustace' care 

A pierced and mangled body bare 

To moated Lichfield's lofty pile ; 1090 

And there, beneath the southern aisle, 

A tomb with Gothic sculpture fair 

Did long Lord Marmion's image bear. — 

Now vainly for its site you look ; 

'T was levelled when fanatic Brook 

The fair cathedral stormed and took. 

But, thanks to Heaven and good Saint Chad, 

A guerdon meet the spoiler had ! — 

There erst was martial Marmion found, 

His feet upon a couchant hound, uoo 

His hands to heaven upraised ; 
And all around, on scutcheon rich. 

And tablet carved, and fretted niche, 
His arms and feats were blazed. 

And yet, though all was carved so fair, 

And priest for Marmion breathed the prayer, 

The last Lortl Marmion lay not there. 

From Ettrick woods a peasant swain 

Followed his lord to Flodden plain, — 



2 24 MARMION. CANTO VI. 

One of those flowers whom plaintive lay mo 

In Scotland mourns as ' wede away : ' 

Sore wounded, Sibyl's Cross he spied, 

And dragged him to its foot, and died 

Close by the noble Marmion's side. 

The spoilers stripped and gashed the slain, 

And thus their corpses were mista'en ; 

And thus in the proud baron's tomb 

The lowly woodsman took the room. 

XXXVII. 

Less easy task it were to show 

Lord Marmion's nameless grave and low. 1120 

They dug his grave e'en where he lay. 

But every mark is gone : 
Time's wasting hand has done away 
The simple Cross of Sibyl Grey, 

And broke her font of stone ; 
But yet from out the little hill 
Oozes the slender springlet still. 

Oft halts the stranger there, 
For thence may best his curious eye 
The memorable field descry ; 1130 

And shepherd boys repair 
To seek the water-flag and rush, 
And rest them by the hazel bush, 

And plait their garlands fair. 
Nor dream they sit upon the grave 
That holds the bones of Marmion brave. — 
When thou shalt find the little hill, 
With thy heart commune and be still. 
If ever in temptation strong 

Thou left'st the right path for the wrong, 1140 

If every devious step thus trod 
Still led thee further from the road. 



CANTO VI. THE BATTLE. 

Dread thou to speak presumptuous doom 
On noble Marmion's lowly tomb : 
But say, ' He died a gallant knight, 
With sword in hand, for England's right.' 



XXXVIII. 

I do not rhyme to that dull elf 

Who cannot image to himself 

That all through Flodden's dismal night 

Wilton was foremost in the fight, 

That when brave Surrey's steed was slain 

'T was Wilton mounted him again ; 

'T was Wilton's brand that deepest hewed 

Amid the spearmen's stubborn wood : 

Unnamed by Holinshed or Hall, 

He was the living soul of all ; 

That, after fight, his faith made plain, 

He won his rank and lands again, 

And charged his old paternal shield 

With bearings won on Flodden Field. 

Nor sing I to that simple maid 

To whom it must in terms be said 

That king and kinsmen did agree 

To bless fair Clara's constancy ; 

Who cannot, unless I relate, 

Paint to her mind the bridal's state, — 

That Wolsey's voice the blessing spoke, 

More, Sands, and Denny, passed the joke ; 

That bluff King Hal the curtain drew. 

And Katherine's hand the stocking threw ; 

And afterwards, for many a day. 

That it was held enough to say. 

In blessing to a wedded pair, 

' Love they like Wilton and like Clare ! ' 




L'ENVOY. 

TO THE READER. 

Why then a final note prolong, 
Or lengthen out a closing song, 
Unless to bid the gentles speed, 
Who long have listed to my rede ? 
To statesmen grave, if such may deign 
To read the minstrel's idle strain, 
Sound head, clean hand, and piercing wit, 
And patriotic heart — as Pitt ! 
A garland for the hero's crest. 
And twined by her he loves the best ! 
To every lovely lady bright. 
What can I wish but faithful knight? 
To every faithful lover too. 
What can I wish but lady true ? • 
And knowledge to the studious sage. 
And pillow soft to head of age ! 
To thee, dear school-boy, whom my lay 
Has cheated of thy hour of play. 
Light task and merry holiday ! 
TTo all, to each, a fair good-night, 
^ And pleasing dreams, and slumbers light ! 



NOTES. 



ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES. 

9) 

Cf. (confer), compare. 
F. Q., Spenser's Faerie Queene. 
fol., following. 
Id. {idem), the same. 

Imp. Diet., Ogilvie's Ijnperial Dictionary (Century Co.'s ed., New York, 1883). 
ind., introduction. 

Lockhart, J. G. Lockhart's edition of Scott's poems (various issues). 
P. L., Milton's Paradise Lost. 
Rich., Richardson's Dictionary (London, 183S). 
Wb., Webster's Dictionary (revised quarto ed. of 1879). 
Wore., Worcester's Dictionary (quarto ed.)- 

The abbre\aations of the names o£ Shakespeare's plays will be readily understood. 
The line-numbers are those of the "Globe " edition. 

The references to the Lady of the Lake are to Rolfe's ed. 



NOTES. 




North Berwick's town and lofty Law." 



INTRODUCTION. 



Scott began Alartnion in November, 1806, while he was engaged 
upon his edition of Dryden. It was published on the 23d of February, 
1S08, "in a splendid quarto, price one guinea and a half" (about $7.50 
in Federal money), and the first edition of two thousand copies was 
exhausted in less than a month. During. the author's life some fifty 
thousand copies were sold, and ever since it has been one of the most 
popular of his poetical romances. 

The poem was dedicated to " the right honorable Henry, Lord Mon- 
tague," and was prefaced by the following " Advertisement : " — 



230 NOTES. 

It is hardly to be expected that an author whom the public have 
honored with some degree of applause should not be again a tres- 
passer on their kindness. Yet the author of JMarmioii must be sup- 
posed to feel some anxiety concerning its success, since he is sensible 
that he hazards, by this second intrusion, any reputation which his first 
poem may have procured him. The present story turns upon the pri- 
vate adventures of a fictitious character, but is called a Tale of Flodden 
Field, because the hero's fate is connected with that memorable defeat 
and the causes which led to it. The design of the author was, if pos- 
sible, to apprise his readers, at the outset, of the date of his story, and 
to prepare them for the manners of the age in which it is laid. Any 
historical narrative, far more an attempt at epic composition, exceeded 
his plan of a romantic tale ; yet he may be permitted to hope, from 
the popularity of The Lay of the Last Minstrel, that an attempt to paint 
the manners of the feudal times, upon a broader scale, and in the course 
of a more interesting story, will not be unacceptable to the public. 

The poem opens about the commencement of August, and concludes 
with the defeat of Flodden, 9th September, 1513. 

AsHESTIEL, 1808. 



The edition of 1830 contained the following " Introduction : " — 

What I have to say respecting this poem may be briefly told. In 
the Introduction to the Lay of the Last Minstrel I have ^nentioned 
the circumstances, so far as my literary life is concerned, which in- 
duced me to resign the active pursuit of an honorable profession for 
the more precarious resources of literature. My appointment to the 
Sheriffdom of Selkirk called for a change of residence. I left, there- 
fore, the pleasant cottage I had upon the side of the Esk, for the 
"pleasanter banks of the Tweed," in order to comply with the law, 
which requires that the sheriff shall be resident, at least during a cer- 
tain number of months, within his jurisdiction. We found a delightful 
retirement, by my becoming the tenant of my intimate friend and cousin- 
german. Colonel Russel, in his mansion of Ashestiel, which was unoc- 
cupied during his absence on military service in India. The house was 
adequate to our accommodation and the exercise of a limited hospi- 
tality. The situation is uncommonly beautiful, by the side of a fine 
river whose streams are there very favorable for angling, surrounded 
by the remains of natural woods, and by hills abounding in game. In 
point of society, according to the heartfelt phrase of Scripture, we 
dwelt " amongst our own people ; " and as the distance from the me- 
tropolis was only thirty miles, we were not out of reach of our Edin- 
burgh friends, in which city we spent the terms of the summer and 
winter sessions of the court, that is, five or six months in the year. 

An important circumstance had, about the same time, taken place in 
my life. Hopes had been held out to me from an influential quarter, 
of a nature to relieve me from the anxiety which I must have otherwise 
felt, as one upon the precarious tenure of whose own life rested the 



JNTRODUCTION. 231 

principal prospects of his family, and especially as one who had neces- 
sarily some dependence upon the favor of the public, which is proven- 
bially capricious ; though it is but justice to add that in my own case 
I have not found it so. Mr. Pitt had expressed a wish to my personal 
friend, the Right Honorable William Dundas, now Lord Clerk Reg- 
ister of Scotland, that some fitting opportunity should be taken to be 
of service to me; and as my views and wishes pointed to a future rather 
than an immediate provision, an opportunity of accomplishing this was 
soon found. One of the Principal Clerks of Session, as they are called 
(official persons who occupy an important and responsible situation, and 
enjoy a considerable income), who had served upwards of thirty years, 
felt himself, from age and the infirmity of deafness with which it was 
accompanied, desirous of retiring from his official situation. As the law 
then stood, such official persons were entitled to bargain with their suc- 
cessors, either for a sum of money, which was usually a considerable 
one, or for an interest in the emoluments of the office during their life. 
My predecessor, whose services had been unusually meritorious, stipu- 
lated for the emoluments of his office during his life, while I should 
enjoy the survivorship, on the condition that I discharged the duties of 
the office in the mean time. Mr. Pitt, however, having died in the 
interval, his administration was dissolved, and was succeeded by that 
known by the name of the Fox and Grenville Ministry. My affair was 
so far completed that my commission lay in the office subscribed by 
his Majesty; but, from hurry or mistake, the interest of my predecessor 
was not expressed in it, as had been usual in such cases. Although, 
therefore, it only required payment of the fees, I could not in honor 
take out the commission in the present state, since, in the event of my 
dying before him, the gentleman whom I succeeded must have lost the 
vested interest which he had stipulated to retain. I had the honor of 
an interview with Earl Spencer on the subject, and he, in the most 
handsome manner, gave directions that the commission should issue as 
originally intended; adding, that the matter having received the royal 
assent, he regarded only as a claim of justice what he would have will- 
ingly done as an act of favor. I never saw Mr. Fox on this or on any 
other occasion, and never made any application to him, conceiving that 
in doing so I might have been supposed to express political opinions 
contrary to those which I had always professed. In his private capacity, 
there is no man to whom I would have been more proud to owe an obli- 
gation, had I been so distinguished. 

By this arrangement I obtained the survivorship of an office the 
emoluments of which were fully adequate to my wishes ; and as the law 
respecting the mode of providing for superannuated officers was, about 
five or six years after, altered from that which admitted the arrange- 
ment of assistant and successor, my colleague very handsomely took 
the opportunity of the alteration to accept of the retiring annuity pro- 
vided in such cases, and admitted me to the full benefit of the office. 

But although the certaintv of succeeding to a considerable income, at 
the time I obtained it, seemed to assure me of a quiet harbor in my 
old age, I did not escape my share of inconvenience from the contrary 
tides and currents by which we are so often encountered in our journey 



2 32 NOTES. 

through life. Indeed, the publication of my next poetical attempt was 
prematurely accelerated, from one of those unpleasant accidents which 
can neither be foreseen nor avoided. 

I had formed the prudent resolution to endeavor to bestow a little 
more labor than I had yet done on my productions, and to be in no 
hurry again to announce myself as a candidate for literary fame. Ac- 
cordingly, particular passages of a poem which was finally called IMar- 
viion were labored with a good deal of care by one by whom much 
care was seldom bestowed. Whether the work was worth the labor 
or not, I am no competent judge; but I maj' be permitted to say that 
the period of its composition was a very happy one in my life ; so much 
so, that I remember with pleasure, at this moment, some of the spots 
in which particular passages were composed. It is probably owing to 
this that the Introcluctions to the several cantos assumed the form of 
familiar epistles to my intimate friends, in which I alluded, perhaps 
more than was necessary or graceful, to my domestic occupations and 
amusements, — a loquacity which may be excused by those who remem- 
ber that I was still young, light-headed, and happy, and that "out of 
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 

The misfortunes of a near relation and friend, which happened at this 
time, led me to alter my prudent determination, which had been to use 
great precaution in sending this poem into the world; and made it con- 
venient at least, if not absolutely necessary, to hasten its publication. 
The publishers of The Lay of the Last Mijistj-el, emboldened by the 
success of that poem, willingly offered a thousand pounds for Mar- 
mioii. The transaction, being no secret, afforded Lord Byron, who 
was then at general war with all who blacked paper, an apology for in- 
cluding me in his satire entitled Englishi Bards and Scotch Reviezvers)- 
I never could conceive how an arrangement between an author and his 
publishers, if satisfactory to the persons concerned, could afford matter 
of censure to any third party. I had taken no unusual or ungenerous 



Lockhart quotes the passage, which is as follows : 



Next view in state, proud prancing on his roan, 

The golden-crested haughty Marmion, 

Now forging scrolls, now foremost in the fight. 

Not quite a felon, yet but half a knight. 

The gibbet or the field prepared to grace ; 

A mighty mixture of the great and base. 

And think' st thou, Scott ! by vain conceit perchance, 

On public t^iste to foist thv stale romance, 

Though Murray with his Miller may combine 

To yield thy muse just half a crown per line? 

No'! when the sons of song descend to trade. 

Their bays are sear, their former laurels fade. 

Let such forego the poet's sacred name, 

Who rack their brains for lucre, not for fame ; 

Still for stern Mammon may they toil in vain ! 

And sadly gaze on gold they cannot gain ! 

Such be their meed, such still the just reward 

Of prostituted muse and hireling bard ! 

For this we spurn Apollo's venal son, 

And bid a long ' Good-night to Marmion.' " 



CANTO I. 233 

means of enhancing the value of my merchandise, — I had never higgled 
a moment about the bargain, but accepted at once what I considered 
the handsome offer of my publishers. These gentlemen, at least, were 
not of opinion that they had been taken advantage of in the transaction, 
which indeed was one of their own framing ; on the contrary, the sale 
of the poem was so far beyond their expectation as to induce them to 
supply the author's cellars with what is always an acceptable pres- 
ent to a young Scottish housekeeper, namely, a hogshead of excellent 
claret. 

The poem was finished in too much haste to allow me an opportunity 
of softening down, if not removing, some of its most prominent defects. 
The nature of Marmion's guilt, although similar instances were found, 
and might be quoted, as existing in feudal times, was nevertheless not 
sufficiently peculiar to be indicative of the character of the period, for- 
gery being the crime of a commercial rather than a proud and warlike 
age. This gross defect ought to have been remedied or palliated. Yet 
I suffered the tree to lie as it had fallen. I remember my friend. Dr. 
Leyden, then in the East, wrote me a furious remonstrance on the sub- 
ject. I have, nevertheless, always been of opinion that corrections, 
however in themselves judicious, have a bad effect — after publication. 
An author is never so decidedly condemned as on his own confession, 
and may long find apologists and partisans until he gives up his own 
cause. I was not, therefore, inclined to afford matter for censure out 
of my own admissions ; and, by good fortune, the novelty of the subject 
and, if I may say so, some force and vivacity of description, were al- 
lowed to atone for many imperfections. Thus the second experiment 
on the public patience, generally the most perilous, — for the public are 
then most a])t to judge with rigor what in the first instance they had 
received perhaps with imprudent generosity, — was in my case deci- 
dedly successful. I had the good fortune to pass this ordeal favorably, 
and the return of sales before me makes the copies amount to thirty-six 
thousand printed between 1808 and 1825, besides a considerable sale 
since that period. I shall here pause ujjon the subject of Marmiofiy 
and, in a few i)refatory words to T/ie Lady of the Lake, the last poem 
of mine which obtained eminent success, 1 will continue the task which 
I have imposed on myself respecting the origin of my productions. 

Abbotsford, April, 1830. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIRST. 

Lockhart states that the Introductions " were not originally intended 
to be interwoven in any fashion with the romance of Marmion.'''' He 
adds: "Though the author himself does not allude to, and had perhaps 
forgotten the circumstance when writing the Introductory Essay of 1S30, 
they were announced by an advertisement early in 1807, ^s ' Six Epistles 
from Ettrick Forest,' to be published in a separate volume ; and per- 
haps it might have been better that this first plan had been adhered to. 



234 NOTES. 

But however that may be, are there any pages among all he ever wrote 
that one would be more sorry he should not have written ? They are 
among the most delicious portraitures that genius ever painted of itself 
— buoyant, virtuous, happy genius — exulting in its own energies, yet 
possessed and mastered by a clear, calm, modest mind, and happy only 
in diffusing happiness around it." 

William Stewart Rose (177 5-1 843), to w^hom this Introduction is 
addressed, was a poet of some reputation in his day, but now chiefly 
known by his translation of Ariosto {1823-31). Among his other works 
were free translations of the old romances of Amadis de Gaul (1803) and 
Parteiiopex de Blois (1807), referred to by Scott below (lines 310 fol.). 
See his memoir by Townsend, prefixed to Bohn's ed. of the Ariosto ; 
Lockhart's Life of Scott, chaps, xvi., xlix., and lix. ; Blackwood'' s Mag. for 
June, 1824; and C. R. Leslie's Autobiographical Recollections, chap. iv. 
(American ed. p. 60 fol.). 

Ashestiel, or Ashiestiel, the home of Scott from the early part of 1804 
until he removed to Abbotsford in May, 181 2, is on the south bank of 
the Tweed, some six miles above the latter place. "A more beautiful 
situation for the house of a poet could not be conceived. The house was 
then a small one, but ... its accommodations were amply sufficient. 
You approached it through an old-fashioned garden, with holly hedges 
and broad, green terrace walks. On one side close under the windows 
is a deep ravine, clothed with venerable trees, down which a mountain 
rivulet is heard, more than seen, in its progress to the Tweed. The 
river itself is separated from the high bank on which the house stands 
only by a narrow meadow of the richest verdure. Opposite, and all 
around, are the green hills. The valley there is narrow, and the aspect 
in every direction is that of perfect pastoral repose " (Lockhart). See 
also an interesting description of the place in Howitt's Ho7nes and 
Haunts of British Poets (Harpers' ed. vol. ii. p. 207 fol.). 

I. N'ovevibers sky, etc. The metre of this Introduction (as of the entire 
poem, with occasional variations, mostly such as are found in the old 
" ballad measure ") is iambic, that is, with the accents on the even sylla- 
bles, and octosyllabic, or eight syllables to the line. An Alexandrine, or 
line of twelve syllables, is occasionally introduced at the end of a pas- 
sage ; as in 96,' 205, and 283 below. In the poem proper, lines of six 
syllables are often interspersed, which give additional variety to the 
measure by interrupting the regular succession of rhymes. 

3. The sleepy linn. The " deep ravine " mentioned by Lockhart. For 
the poetical sleepy, cf. Shakespeare, T. of A. i. i. 74 : " the steepy mount," 
etc. Linn, which here is = ravine, has a variety of other meanings ; 
as cataract (cf. ii. ind. 269 below), deep pool (especially above or below 
a waterfall), precipice, etc. 

Needpathfell, Yair (or Yare), and Glenkinnon's rill, are all in the im- 
mediate neighborhood. 

8. Feeble, hoarse, and frequent are of course used adverbially, as ad- 
jectives often are in poetry. 

15. No longer, etc. The MS. (according to Lockhart) reads : 

" No longer now in glowing red 
The Ettericke-Forest hills are clad." 



CAXTO /. 235 

23. Heaven. Weather. Cf. the use of the Latin caelum. 
32. ///;//. Used leflexively, as often in poetry. 

37. Imps. Children; as in Old English. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. ind. to 
13k. i. : 

" And thou, most dreaded impe of highest Jove, 
Faire Venus sonne ; " etc. 

Holinshed speaks of " Prince Edward, that goodlie impe ; " and Church- 
yard calls Edward VI. "that impe of grace." 

50. To the round. 'I'hat is, in response to your own song. 

53. To mute ami to material things. Note the alliteration; as in 49 
above, 60 below, etc. 

59. What po-i-verful call, etc. The MS. reads : 

" What call awakens from the dead 
The hero's heart, the patriot's head ? " 

61. Britain's weal. Repeated too soon in 84 below. 
64. The meanest floioer that blo-ws. Wordsworth, a few years earlier, 
had written {Ode on Intiviations of Ln mortality) : 

" To me the meanest flower that blows can give 
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." 

69. Deep graved. Scott did well to revise the MS. reading: 

'' Deep in each British bosom wrote, 
O never be those names forgot ! " 

72. On Gadite wave. That is, in the Bay of Trafalgar, where Nelson 
died in the hour of his famous victory. Gadite, like the more familiar 
Gaditanian, is from Gades, the ancient name of the neighboring Cadiz. 

73. Levin. Lightning; obsolete except in poetry. "Cf. i. 400 below, 
and Spenser, F. Q. iii. 5. 48 : 

" As percing levin, which the inner part 
Of every thing consumes, and calcineth by art." 

So levin-brond (lightning-brand) = thunderbolt ; as in Id. vii. 7. 30: 
" Ajid eft his burning levin-brond in hand he tooke." 
80. ]Vho hade, etc. Pitt was prime minister at the time. 

82. Hafnia. Copenhagen (its Latin name); referring to Nelson's 
victory there in 1801. 

83. Emprise. Enterprise ; a poetical word. 

84. Early wise. Pitt made his first great speech in Parliament before 
he was twenty-two, and at twenty-three was Chancellor of the Exchequer. 
For the other allusions to the career of the famous statesman, and to 
that of his great rival Fox, see any sketch of their lives. 

91. Amain. Literally, with main, or force. This old word main 
still survives in the phrase " with might and main." 

92. Strained, etc. The MS. has "Tugg'd at subjection's cracking 
rein ; " and in 95 "bold " iox fierce. 

97. Hadst thou, etc. According to Lockhart, this passage was inter- 
polated on the blank page of the MS., where it appears thus : 



236 NOTES. 



' Oh ! had he lived, though stripp'd of power. 
Like a lone watchman on the tower, 
His thrillins; trumpet through the land 
Had warn'd when foemen were at hand; 
As by some beacon's lonely light, 
By thee our course had steer'd aright : 
Our steady course had steer'd aright ; 
Our pilots kept their course aright ; 
His single mind, unbent by fate, 
Had propped his country's tottering weight; 
■ all J 



As some \ \ column left alone, 
( vast ) 

{Had propp'd our tottering state and throne ; \ 
His strength had propp'd our tottering throne ; ) 
The beacon-light is quench'd in smoke, 
The warder fallen, the column broke." 

109. Oh ! think, etc. The MS. has " Yet think," etc. 

III. Palimi.e's 7inaltered mood. The allusion is to Palinurus, the 
pilot of iEneas. When the disguised Somnus tried to persuade him 
to leave his post and indulge in needed rest, he refused ; and when the 
baffled god pushed him overboard he still clung to the helm, which was 
torn awav as he fell. See Virgil, A?.n. v. 833 fol. 

121. Hallowed day. The MS. has " holy day." 

127. His rival slumbers nigh. The grave of Fox in Westminster 
Abbey is close to that of Pitt. 

1 30-141. For talents . . . long rest. In place of these twelve lines the 
MS. has the following : 

" If genius high, and judgment sound, 
And art that loved to play, not Wfiund, 
And all the reasoning powers divine. 
To penetrate, resolve, combine, 
Could save one mortal of the herd 
From error — Fox had never err'd." 

135. Resolve. Analyze. 

142. Here. That is, in the Abbey, where so many eminent men are 
buried. 

146. Where the fretted aisles prolong, etc. Cf. Gray, Elegy, 39: 

" Where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, 
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise." 

For the architectural sense of aisle, see any of the larger dictionaries. 

152. A7id, partial feeling, etc. The MS. has "And party passion 
doff'd aside," which may serve as a comment on the use of partial. 

159. The sullied olive-branch returned. Rejected the peace which he 
considered dishonorable. 

161. Ahiiled her colors to the mast. Like Nelson, who, at the battle of 
Copenhagen, when Sir Hyde Parker, his superior in command, made 
signal for discontinuing the action, refused to obey. " Damn the sig- 
nal ! " he is said to have cried. " Keep mine for closer battle flying. 
That 's the way I answer such signals. Nail mine to the mast ! " 

162. Heaven, to reivard his frmness, etc. Lockhart quotes what 
Jeffrey says in the Edinburgh Review : " The first epistolary effusion, 



CAN '10 /. 237 

containing a threnody on Nelson, Pitt, and Fox, exhibits a remarkable 
failure. We are unwilling to quarrel with a poet on the score of poli- 
tics ; but the manner in which he has chosen to praise the last of these 
great men is more likely, wc conceive, to give offence to his admirers 
than the most direct censure. The only deed for which he is praised is 
for having broken off the negotiation for peace; and for this act of 
firmness, it is added, Heaven rewarded him with a share in the hon- 
ored grave of Pitt. It is then said that his errors should be forgotten, 
and that he died a Briton, — a pretty plain insinuation that, in the 
author's opinion, he did not live one ; and just such an encomium as 
he himself pronounces over the grave of his villain hero, Marmion." 

16S. Party. The MS. has "courtier;" and in 179 below "pale 
moou " for planets. 

177. T/iessal/an cave. Thessaly was noted for its witchcraft. 
185. Side by side. See on 125 above. Lockhart quotes Byron, Age 
of Bronze : 

" Reader ! remember when thou wert a lad, 

Then Pitt was all; or, if not all. so much. 

His very rival almost deem'd him such. 

We, we have seen the intellectual race 

Of giants stand, like Titans, face to face, 

Athos and Ida, with a dashing sea 

Of eloquence between, which flow'd all free 

As the deep billows ot the /Egean roar 

Betwixt the Hellenic and the Phrygian shore. 

But where are they — the rivals ! — a few feet 

Of sullen earth divide each winding-sheet. 

How peaceful and how powerful is the grave, 

Which hushes all ! a calm unstormy wave, 

Which oversweeps the world. The theme is old 

Of ' dust to dust ; ' but half its tale untold ; 

Time tempers not its terrors." 

194. But search the land, of living men, etc. The pointing is that of 
Scott in the first ed. His meaning evidently was: Search the land, and 
among living men where will you find, etc. The comma after hmd is 
omitted in most eds., altering the construction, though not materially 
affecting the sense. 

199. Hearse. Here =coftin, or tomb. The herse, or hearse, was origi- 
nally a temporary canopy covered with candles, which was placed over 
the coffin during the funeral ceremonies; afterwards the word was 
applied to a permanent framework over a tomb, and (poetically at 
least) to the tomb itself. Cf. Ben Jonson's Epitaph on the Countess of 
Pembroke : 

" Underneath this sable herse 
Lies the subject of all verse," etc. 

203. The Border Minstrel. Scott himself, whose Minstrelsy of the 
Scottish Border \\-A.A been ])ublishcd in 1S02-1S03. In the Introduction 
prefixed to the Lay of the Last Minstrel in 1S30, the poet says that 
"among those who smiled on the adventurous minstrel were numbered 
the great names of William Pitt and Charles Fox." Lockhart, in his 
Life of Scott, says: "Through what channel or in what terms Fox made 
known his opinion of the Lay, I have failed to ascertain. Pitt's praise, 



238 NOTES. 

as expressed to his niece, Lady Hester Stanhope, within a few weeks 
after the poem appeared, was repeated by her to William Rose, who of 
course communicated it forthwith to the author." Lockhart goes on to 
quote Mr. William Dundas, who writes to Scott: "I remember, at Mr. 
Pitt's table in 1805, ... he repeated some lines from the Lay, describ- 
ing the old harper's embarrassment when asked to play, and said, * This 
is a sort of thing which I might have expected in painting, but could 
never have fancied capable of being given in poetry.'" 

204. Gothic. Rude ; perhaps with a reference also to Scott's choice 
of subjects for his poetry. 

207. Wildered. Bewildered; but not to be printed " 'wildered. ' 
See Wb. or the Imp. Diet. Cf. Lady of the Lake, p. 187. 

217. Ecstasy. Overpowering emotion. Cf. Shakespeare, Much Ado, 
ii. 3. 157 : "The ecstasy hath so much overborne her that my daughter 
is sometime afeard she will do a desperate outrage to herself ; " Macb. 
iii. 2. 22 : 

" Than on the torture of the mind to lie 
In restless ecstasy," etc. 

220. Like frostiuoj'k, etc. Lockhart quotes Rogers, Fleas, of Memory : 

" If but a dream of sober reason play, 
Lo ! Fancy's fairy frostwork melts away." 

221. Fancy. The early eds. have " fancied." Th& fancy fabric is the 
Abbey in which he has imagined himself to be. 

232' Frompt on niiequal tasks to riin. Eager to undertake tasks to 
which he is unequal ; referring to son, not Ahitnre. 

235. Waste. Idle away. Cf. Milton, Sonnet to Mr. Laurence : *' Help 
waste a sullen day," etc. 

238. Shrilling. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. i. 5. 6: "A shrilling trompetf 
sownded from on hye ; " Id. vi. 8. 46 : " Then gan the bagpypes and 
the homes to shrill,'" etc The verb is sometimes transitive; as in 
Shakespeare, T. and C v. 3. 84: " How poor Andromache shrills her 
dolours forth ! " Tennyson, Talking Oak, 68 : " And shrill'd his tinsel 
shaft," etc. 

242. Trips it. Cf. Milton, Z' Allegro, 2,3 ■ " Come, and trip it, as you 
go," etc. 

244. The ancient shepherd's tale to learn, etc. As Scott was fond of 
doing. The whole picture is drawn from the life. It was thus that he 
gathered much of the material for his Border Minstrelsy. 

245. Though oft, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Though oft he stops to wonder still 
That his old legends have the skill 
To win so well the attentive ear. 
Perchance to draw tlie sigh or tear." 

256. Steely u^eeds. Steel armor. For steely, cf. Shakespeare, 3 Henry 
VI. ii. 3. 16: " The steely point of Clifford's lance," etc. ; and for 7oeeds 
=^ garments, cf. v. 168 below. See also Lady of the Lake, p. 238. 

258. The Champion of the Lake. Lancelo't clu Lac, one of the most 
famous of Arthur's knights. Scott has the following note here : 



CAN'J'O I. 239 

" The Romance of the Morte cC Arthur contains a sort of abridgment 
of the most celebrated adventures of the Round Table ; and, being 
written in comparatively modern language, gives the general reader an 
excellent idea of what romances of chivalry actually were. It has also 
the merit of being written in pure old English; and many of the wild 
adventures which it contains are told with a simplicity bordering upon 
the sublime. Several of these are referred to in the text; . . . but I 
confine myself to the tale of the Chapel Perilous, and of the quest of 
Sir Launcelot after the Sangreal : 

" ' Right so Sir Launcelot departed, and when he came to the Chapel! 
Perilous, he alighted downe, and tied his horse to a little gate. And 
as soon as he was within the churchyard, he saw, on the front of the 
chapell, many faire rich shields turned upside downe; and many of the 
shields Sir Launcelot had scene knights have before ; with that he saw 
stand by him thirtie great knights, more, by a yard, than any man that 
ever he had scene, and all those grinned and gnashed at Sir Launcelot ; 
and when he saw their countenance, hee dread them sore, and so put 
his shield afore him, and tooke his sword in his hand, ready to doe bat- 
taile ; and they were all armed in black harneis, ready, with their shields 
and swords drawen. And when Sir Launcelot would have gone through 
them, they scattered on every side of him, and gave him the way ; and 
therewith he waxed all bold, and entered into the chapell, and then hee 
saw no light but a dimme lampe burning, and then was he ware of a 
corps covered with a cloath of si Ike ; then Sir Launcelot stooped downe, 
and cut a piece of that cloath away, and then it fared under him as the 
earth had quaked a little, whereof he was afeard, and then hee saw a 
faire sword lye by the dead knight, and that he gat in his hand, and 
hied him out of the chappell. As soon as he was in the chappell-yerd, 
all the knights spoke to him with a grimly voice, and said, " Knight, Sir 
Launcelot, lay that sword from thee, or else thou shalt die." — " Whether 
I live or die," said Sir Launcelot, " with no great words get yee it againe, 
therefore fight for it and yee list." Therewith he passed through them ; 
and, beyond the chappell-yerd, there met him a faire damosell, and said, 
" Sir Launcelot, leave that sword behind thee, or thou wilt die for it." — 
" I will not leave it," said Sir Launcelot, " for no threats." — " No t " said 
she; "and ye did leave that sword, Queene Guenever should ye never 
see." — "Then were I a fool e and I would leave this sword," said Sir 
Launcelot. — " Now, gentle knight," said the damosell,"! require thee 
to kisse me once." — " Nay," said Sir Launcelot, " that God forbid !" —^ 
" Well, sir," said she, "and thou haddcst kissed me thy life dayes had 
been done ; but now, alas ! " said she, " I have lost all my labour ; for I 
ordeined this chapjiell for thy sake, and for SirGawaine: and once I 
had Sir Gawaine within it; and at that time he fought with that knight 
which there lieth dead in yonder chappell, Sir Gilbert the bastard, and 
at that time hee smote off Sir Gilbert the bastard's left hand. And so. 
Sir Launcelot, now I tell thee, that I have loved thee this seaven yeare ; 
but there may no woman have thy love but Quccne Guenever; but 
sithen I may not rcjoyce thee to have thy body alive, I had kept no 
more joy in this world but to have had thy dead body; and 1 would 
have balmed it and served, and so have kept it in my life dales, and 



240 NOTES. 

daily I should have clipped thee, and kissed thee, in the despite of 
Queene Guenever." — " Yee say well," said Sir Launcelot; "Jesus pre- 
serve me from your subtill craft." And therewith he took his horse and 
departed from her.' " 

263. Dame Ganore. Guenever, or Guinevere, the faithless queen of 
Arthur, referred to in the above extract from the Morte d''ArtJmr. 

267. A sinful man, etc. Scott has the following note on this pas- 

" One day, when Arthur was holding a high feast with his Knights of 
the Round Table, the Sangreal, or vessel out of which the last pass- 
over was eaten, a precious relic, which had long remained concealed 
from human eyes, because of the sins of the land, suddenly appeared 
to him and all his chivalry. The consequence of this vision was, that 
all the knights took on them a solemn vow to seek the Sangreal. But, 
alas ! it could only be revealed to a knight at once accomplished in 
earthly chivalry, and pure and guiltless of evil conversation. All Sir 
Launcelot's noble accomplishments were therefore rendered vain by his 
guilty intrigue with Queen Guenever, or Ganore ; and in this holy quest 
he encountered only such disgraceful disasters as that which follows : 

" ' But Sir Launcelot rode overthwart and endlong in a wild forest, and 
held no path, but as wild adventure led him ; and at the last, he came 
unto a stone crosse, which departed two wayes, in wast land ; and, by 
the crosse, was a ston that was of marble ; but it was so darke, that 
Sir Launcelot might not well know what it was. Then Sir Launcelot 
looked by him, and saw an old chappell, and there he wend to have 
found people. And so Sir Launcelot tied his horse to a tree, and there 
hee put off his shield, and hung it upon a tree, and then hee went unto 
the chappell doore, and found it wasted and broken. And within he 
found a faire alter full richly arrayed with cloth of silk, and there stood 
a faire candlestick, which beare six great candels, and the candlesticke 
was of silver. And when Sir Launcelot saw this light, hee had a great 
will for to enter into the chappell, but hee could find no place where hee 
might enter. Then was he passing heavie and dismaied. Then hee 
returned, and came again to his horse, and tooke off his saddle and his 
bridle, and let him pasture, and unlaced his helme, and ungirded his 
sword, and laide him downe to sleepe upon his shield before the crosse. 

" ' And so hee fell on sleepe, and halfe waking and halfe sleeping, hee 
saw come by him two palfryes, both faire and white, the which beare a 
litter, therein lying a sicke knight. And when he was nigh the crosse, 
he there abode still. All this Sir Launcelot saw and beheld, for hee 
slept not verily, and hee heard him say, " Oh sweete Lord, when shall 
this sorrow leave me, and when shall the holy vessel come by me, 
where through I shall be blessed, for I have endured thus long, for 
little trespasse." And thus a great while complained the knight, and 
allwaies Sir Launcelot heard it. With that Sir Launcelot saw the can- 
dlesticke, with the six tapers come before the crosse; but he could see 
no body that brought it. Also there came a table of silver, and the 
holy vessell of the Sancgreall, the which Sir Launcelot had scene before 
that time in King Petchour's house. And therewithall the sicke knight 
set him upright, and held up both his hands, and said, " Faire sweete 



CANTO I. 241 

Lord, which is here within the holy vessell, take heede to mee, that I 
may bee hole of this great malady." And therewith upon his hands, 
and upon his knees, he went so nigh, that he touched the holy vessell, 
and kissed it: And anon he was hole, and then he said, " Lord God, I 
thank thee, for I am healed of this malady." Soo when the holy vessell 
had been there a great while, it went unto the chappell againe with the 
candlesticke and the light, so that Sir Launcelot wist not where it be- 
came, for he was overtaken with sinne, that hee had no power to arise 
against the holy vessell, wherefore afterward many men said of him 
shame. But he tooke repentance afterward. Then the sicke knight 
dressed him upright, and kissed the crosse. Then anon his squire 
brought him his armcs, and asked his lord how he did. " Certainely," 
said hee, '• I thanke God right heartily, for through the holy vessell I 
am healed: But I have right great mervaile of this sleeping knight, 
which hath had neither grace nor power to awake during the time that 
this holy vessell hath beene here present." " I dare it right well say," 
said the squire, " that this same knight is defouled with some manner 
of deadly sinne, whereof he was never confessed." " By my faith," said 
the knight, "whatsoever he be, he is unhappie; for as I deemc hee is of 
the fellowship of the Round Table, the which is entred into the quest 
of the Sancgreall." " Sii," said the squire, "here I have brought you all 
your amies, save your helme and your sword, and therefore, by mine 
assent, now may ye take th; : knight's helme and his sword," and so he 
did. And when he was cleane armed, he tooke Sir Launcelot's horse, 
for he was better than his owne, and so they departed from the crosse. 
"'Then anon Sir Launcelot awaked, and set himselfe upright, and 
hee thought him what hee had there seene, and whether it were 
dreames or not, right so he heard a voice that said " Sir Launcelot, more 
harder then is the stone, and more bitter then is the wood, and more 
naked and bare then is the liefe of the fig-tree, therefore go thou from 
hence, and withdraw thee from this holy place ; " and when Sir Launce- 
lot heard this, hee was passing heavy, and wist not what to doe. And 
so he departed sore weeping, and cursed the time that he was borne ; 
for then hee deemed never to have had more worship; for the words 
went unto his heart, till that he knew wherefore that hee was so 
called.'" 

Unconfessed. That is, not having received absolution after con- 
fession. 

For the story of the Sangreal, see also Tennyson's Holy Grail and 
Sir Galahad, and Lowell's Vision of Sir Launfal. 

273. Spenser's elfin dream. That is, his Faerie Queene. 
275. And Dryden, etc. Scott says : " Dryden's melancholy account of 
his projected Epic Poem, blasted by the selfish and sordid parsimony 
of his patrons, is contained in an Essay on Satire, addressed to the Karl 
of Dorset, and prefaced to the Translation of Juvenal. After mention- 
ing a plan of supplying machinery from the guardian angels of king- 
doms, mentioned in the Book of Daniel, he adds: 'Thus, my Lord. 1 
have, as briefly as I could, given your lordship, and by you the world, a 
rude draft of what I have been long laboring in my imagination, and 
what I had intended to have put in practice (though far unable for the 

16 



242 NOTES. 

attempt of such a poem) ; and to have left the stage, to which my 
genius never much inclined me, for a v^^ork which would have taken up 
my life in the performance of it. This, too, I had intended chiefly for 
the honor of my native country, to which a poet is particularly obliged. 
Of two subjects, both relating to it, I was doubtful whether I should 
choose that of King Arthur conquering the Saxons, which, being fur- 
ther distant in time, gives the greater scope to my invention; or that of 
Edward the Black Prince, in subduing Spain, and restoring it to the 
lawful prince, though a great tyrant, Don Pedro the Cruel ; which, for 
the compass of time, including only the expedition of one year, for the 
greatness of the action, and its answerable event, for the magnanimity 
of the English hero, opposed to the ingratitude of the person whom he 
restored, and for the many beautiful episodes which I had interwoven 
with the principal design, together with the characters of the chiefest 
English persons (wherein, after Virgil and Spenser, I would have taken 
occasion to represent my living friends and patrons of the noblest fami- 
lies, and also shadowed the events- of future ages in the succession of 
our imperial line), — with these helps, and those of the machines which 
I have mentioned, I might perhaps have done as well as some of my 
predecessors, or at least chalked out a way for others to amend my errors 
in a like design ; but being encouraged only with fair words by King 
Charles II., my little salary ill paid, and no prospect of a future sub- 
sistence, 1 was then discouraged in the beginning of my attempt ; and 
now age has overtaken me; and want, a more insufferable evil, through 
the change of the times, has wholly disabled me.'" 
281. Licentious satire, etc. The MS. reads thus : 

" Licentious song, lampoon, and play , 
The world defrauded of the bold design. 
And quench'd the heroic | ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^,^ ^1,^ j^fj Xixit. 
Profaned the heavenly ) ' , 

Profaned his God-given strength, and marr'd his lofty line." 

289. Where long, etc. This magic sleep, etc., was a favorite device 
with the old romancers. 

294. To prick. To spur his steed. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. i. i. i : " A 
gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine," etc. Oti venttcrous quest = 
in quest of adventures, like the knights of old. 

295. With all his train. In the MS. the rest of the passage stands 
thus : 

*' Around him wait with all their | gpefi"^^' 

_, , 1 • u ( Virtue only warms ; 

Pure Love which | ^^^^^^ j^j^ p^^^j^^ ^^^g . 

Mystery, half seen and half conceal'd ; 
And Honor, with unspotted shield ; 
Attention, with fix'd eye ; and Fear, 
That loves the tale she shrinks to hear ; 
And gentle Courtesy ; and Faith, 
And valor that despises death. 

299. And errant maid, etc. Like Una in the Faerie Qtieene. 
308. Lion-mettled. Lion-spirited, brave as a lion. Mettle is only 
another spelling of metal, and in old books we find the two used mdis- 



CANTO /. 243 

criminately. Shakespeare has lion-metilcd in Macb. iv. i. 90: " Be lion- 
mettled, proud," etc. See also on iii. ind. 91 below. 

310. Thy fair achirt'cmciit. Your e.xcellcnt work in literature. For 
the allusions to Mr. Rose's books in the lines that follow, see the ac- 
count of that gentleman above. 

312. Ytcne's oaks. "The New Forest in Hampshire, anciently so 
called" (Scott). 

314. Ascapart and Bevis bold. Asca]5art, or Ascabart, was a giant 
who figures in the History of Bcz>is of Hampton, by whom he was con- 
quered. The images of the two are still to be seen on either side of 
an old gate at Southampton. Scott quotes the description of Ascapan't 
from Mr. George Ellis's translation of the old romance : 

*' This j^eaunt was mighty and strong, 
And full thirty foot was long. 
He was bristled like a sow ; 
A foot he had between each brow ; 
His lips were great, and hung aside ; 
His even were liollow, liis mouth was wide •, 
Lothly he was to look on than, 
And liker a devil than a man. 
His staff was a young oak. 
Hard and heavy was his stroke." 

315. That Red King. William Rufus (his surname being Latin for 
red), who was accidentally killed by an arrow from the i30w of Sir 
Walter Tyrrel, while hunting in the New Forest, Aug. 2, iioo. Boldre 
is still the name of a village in the Forest. 

321. In hall. That is, among men; just as in hoover was often = 
among women. In hall and bozuer (among men and women) is a com- 
mon expression in the old ballads. Cf. i. 348 below, and see also Lady 
of the Lake, p. 197, note on 112. 



CANTO FIRST. 

I. N'orham's castled steep. " The ruinous castle of Norham (anciently 
called Ubbanford) is situated on the southern bank of the Tweed, about 
si.\ miles above Berwick, and where that river is still the boundary be- 
tween England and Scotland. The extent of its ruins, as well as its 
historical importance, show it to have been a place of magnificence, as 
well as strength. Edward I. resided there when he was created umpire 
of the dispute concerning the Scottish succession. It was repeatedly 
taken and retaken during the wars between England and Scotland ; and, 
indeed, scarce any happened in which it had not a princijDal share. 
Norham Castle is situated on a steep bank which overhangs the river. 
The repeated sieges which the castle had sustained rendered frequent 
repairs necessary. In Ii64itwas almost rebuilded by Hugh Pudsev, 
bishop of Durham, who added a huge keep or donjon ; notwithstand- 
ing which, King Henry II., in 1174, took the castle from the bishop, 
and committed the keeping of it to William de Neville. After thi:; 



244 NOTES. 

period it seems to have been chiefly garrisoned by the king, and con- 
sidered as a royal fortress. The Greys of Chillinghame Castle were 
frequently the castellans or captains of the garrison. Yet, as the castle 
was situated in the patrimony of St. Cuthbert, the property was in the 
see of Durham till the Reformation. 

" According to Mr. Pinkerton, there is, in the British Museum, a curious 
memoir of the Dacres on the state of Norham Castle in 1522, not long 
after the battle of Flodden. The inner ward or keep is represented 
as impregnable : ' The provisions are three great vats of salt eels, forty- 
four kine, three hogsheads of salted salmon, forty quarters of grain, 
besides many cows, and four hundred sheep lying under the castle wall 
nightly ; but a number of the arrows wanted feathers, and a good 
Fletcher [i. e. maker of arrows) was required ' {History of Scotland, vol. 
ii. p. 201, note). 

"The ruins of the castle consist of a large shattered tower, with many 
vaults, and fragments of other edifices, inclosed within an outward wall 
of great circuit " (Scott). 

The MS. has " hoary keep " for castled steep ; in 4, " donjon steep ; " 
in 7, " ruddy lustre ; " in 9, " eastern sky; " and in 12, "evening blaze. ^' 

3. Cheviofs niojintains. The Cheviot Hills are directly south of 
Norham, bounding the view from the castle in that chrection. 

4. Battled. Battlemented ; as in v. ind. 90 below. Cf. Lady of the 
Lake, ii. 702 : "the battled fence," etc. 

" It is perhaps unnecessary to remind my readers that donjon, in its 
proper signification, means the strongest part of a feudal castle ; a high 
square tower, with walls of tremendous thickness, situated in the centre 
of the other buildings, from which, liowever, it was usually detached. 
Here, in case of the outward defences being gained, the garrison re- 
treated to make their last stand. The donjon contained the great hall, 
and principal rooms of state for solemn occasions, and also the prison 
of the fortress ; from which last circumstance we derive the modern and 
restricted use of the word dunf^eon^' ■{ Scott). 

14. St. George's banner. That is, the English flag. 

20. Parted. Departed ; as often in poetry, and formerly in prose. 
Cf. Spenser, F.Q.\. 3. 22 : " Soone as she parted thence ; " Gray, Elegy, i : 
" the knell of parting day," etc. See also ii. 621 and vi. 478 below. 

29. Llorncliff-hill. The hill and the village of Horncliff are a little 
way down the river from Norham. 

Plmnp. This word properly means a flight of water-fowl, but is ap- 
plied, by analogy, to a body of horse. Scott quotes Flodden Field: 

" There is a knight of the North Country, 
Which leads a lusty plump of spears." 

In Elizabethan and earlier (as well as later) writers it is common in the 
sense of a group or mass of persons or things : " a plumpe of rogues " 
(Beaumont and Fletcher); "a plumpe of fine gallants" (Chapman); 
" a plump of trees" (Dryden), etc. 

42. Setvcr. The officer who served up the feast and arranged the 
dishes. It was also his duty to bring water for the hands of the guests. 
Nares quotes Barclay, Eel. ii : 



CANTO 1. 245 

'* Slow be tlie sewers in serving in alway, 

But swift be they after, in taking meat away." 

Cf. also Ben Jonson, Epicceiie^m. 3 : " Ckip me a clean towel about you, 
like a sewer;" and Chapman, Ody:iscy: 

" Then tlie sewre 
Pourd water from a great and golden ewre." 

The seneschal was the steward or superintendent of the domestic con- 
cerns of the castle. 

43. Malvoisie. The French name of Malmsey wine. 

50. Salvo-shot. Salute; or, as the MS. has it, " welcome-shot." 

56. Unsparred. Removed its spars or bars. 

62. Sialworth. An old form of stahoart. 

64. The scar, etc. The MS. reads : 

" On his brown cheek an azure scar 
Bore token true of Bosworth war." 

The allusion is to the battle of Bosworth Field (Aug. 22, 14S5), which 
terminated the Wars of the Roses. 

75. Carpet knight. Cf. Lady of the Lake, v. 354 : 

" By heaven, I change 
My thought, and hold thy valor light 
As that of some vain carpet knight," etc. 

79. Milan steel. Scott says : " The artists of Milan were famous in 
the middle ages for their skill in armory, as appears from the follow- 
ing passage, in which Froissart gives an account of the preparations 
made by Henry, Earl of Hereford, afterwards Henry IV., and Thomas, 
Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marischal, for their proposed combat in the lists 
at Coventry: 'These two lords made ample jn-ovision of all things 
necessary for the combat; and the Earl of Derby sent off messengers 
to Lombardy, to have armor from Sir Galeas, Duke of Milan. The 
duke cotnplied with joy, and gave the knight, called Sir Francis, who 
had brought the message, the choice of all his armor for the Earl of 
Derby. When he had selected what he wished for in plated and mail 
armor, the lord of Milan, out of his abundant love for the Earl, ordered 
four of the best armorers in Milan to accompany the knight to Eng- 
land, that the Earl of Derby might be more completely armed ' ( Johnes's 
Froissart, vol. iv. p. 597)." 

86. Sable in an aztirc field. The terms used are the technical ones of 
heraldry. 

88. Checks at. A technical term in falconry, meaning "to stop at 
the sight of game not seen bcf(n-e;" hence, to meditate an attack. 
Cf. Shakespeare, T. N. ii. 5. 125: "And with what wing the staniel 
[hawk] checks at it ! " and Id. iii. i. 71 : 

" And, hke the haggard [wild hawk], check at every feather 
That comes before his eye." 

Scott has the following note here : 

"The crest and motto of Marmion are borrowed from the following 
story ; Sir David de Lindsay, first Earl of Crauford, was, among other 



246 NOTES. 

gentlemen of quality, attended, during a visit to London, in 1390, by Sir 
William Dalzell, who was, according to my authority, Bower, not only 
excelling in wisdom, but also of a lively wit. Chancing to be at the 
court, he there saw Sir Piers Courtenay, an English knight, famous for 
skill in tilting, and for the beauty of his person, parading the palace, 
arrayed in a new mantle, bearing for device an embroidered falcon, 
with this rhyme, — 

' I bear a falcon, fairest of flight, 
Whoso pinches at her, his death is dight,^ 

In graith.' 2 . 

" The Scottish knight, being a wag, appeared next day in a dress ex- 
actly similar to that of Courtenay, but bearing a magpie instead of a 
falcon, with a motto ingeniously contrived to rhyme to the vaunting 
inscription of Sir Piers : — 

' I bear a pie picking at a peice, 
Whoso picks at her, I shall pick at his nese,3 
In faith.' 

" This affront could only be expiated by a joust with sharp lances. In 
the course, Dalzell left his helmet unlaced, so that it gave way at the 
touch of his antagonist's lance, and he thus avoided the shock of the 
encounter. This happened twice : in the third encounter, the handsome 
Courtenay lost two of his front teeth. As the Englishman complained 
bitterly of Dalzell 's fraud in not fastening his helmet, the Scottishman 
agreed to run six courses more, each champion staking in the hand of 
the king two hundred pounds, to be forfeited, if, on entering the lists, 
any unequal advantage should be detected. This being agreed to, the 
wily Scot demanded that Sir Piers, in addition to the loss of his teeth, 
should consent to the extinction of one of his eyes, he himself having 
lost an eye in the fight of Otterburn. As Courtenay demurred to this 
equalization of optical powers, Dalzell demanded the forfeit, which, 
after much altercation, the king appointed to be paid to him, saying 
he surpassed the English both in wit and valor. This must appear 
to the reader a singular specimen of the humor of that time. I 
suspect the Jockey Club would have given a different decision from 
Henry IV." 

95. The gilded spurs to claim. That is, to receive the badge of knight- 
hood, to become knights. Cf. vi. 743 below. 

98. Bear the ring away. That is, in the exercise of " riding at the 
ring," or trying to carry away a suspended ring on the point of the lance 
while riding at full speed. 

100. Carve at board. Carving was considered a courtly accomplish- 
ment. 

loi. Passing. Surpassingly; a common adverbial use of the word. 

104. Halbert. A kind of battle-axe fixed to a long pole. The /^/// was 
a form of the same weapon. 

105. They bore, etc. The MS. has : 

" One bore Lord Marmion's lance so strong, 
Two led his sumpter-miiles along, 
The third his palfrey, when at need," etc. 

^ Prepared. 2 Armor. 3 Nose. 



CANTO /. 247 

108. Him listed ease, etc. It pleased him to ease, or relieve. For the 
old impersonal use, cf. Spenser, F. Q. iv. 9. 35 : *' In milder tearmes, as 
list them to devise," etc. 

113. Blazoned sable. Heraldic terms ; as in 86 above. 

116. Hoseti. The old plural ; \\\.z oxen, ^\.c. Theytv/v/^ was a kind 
of short coat. 

122. A cloth-yard shaft. An arrow a yard long. 

130. Morion. A steel cap, or helmet without a beaver (the part that 
let down and covered the face). Cf. vSkelton, Don Quixote : " For they 
wanted a helmet, and had only a jilain morrion ; but he by his industry 
supplied that want, and framed with certain papers pasted together a 
beaver for his morrion." 

134. Linstock. The lint-stock, or handle for holding the lint, or match 
with which a cannon was tired. Cf. Shakespeare, Hen. V. iii. chor. 32 : 

" and the nimble gunner 
With linstock now the devilish cannon touches." 

Yare. Ready ; as in Shakespeare, T. JV. iii. 4. 244 : " be yare in thy 
preparation," etc. 

136. Entered, etc. The MS. has : 

" And when he enter'd, such a clang 
As through the echoing turrets rang," etc. 

139. Morrice-pikes. A long heavy spear, of Moorish origin, as its 
name (often spelt morris-pike) implies. 

140. Brave. Bravely, or well ; the same word as the Scottish braiv. 
Cf. Lady of the Lake, p. 203. 

141. Glanced. Flashed; the primary meaning of the word. 

146. Angels. A gold coin worth about ten shillings. Puns upon the 
word are common in Shakespeare and other old writers. See also 429 
below. 

149. Brook. Control, rein. The only meaning of the verb recognized 
by Wore, or \Vb. is " bear, endure ;" but Rich, gives "to render or 
become submissive or subservient," and to render submissive is clearly 
the sense here. 

151. Pursuivants. Attendants on the heralds, "the third and lowest 
order of heraldic officers." The tabard, or coat worn by heralds and 
pursuivants, is sufficiently illustrated by the cut in the text. 

The British Critic (quoted by Lockhart) says here : "The most pic- 
turesque of all poets, Homer, is frequently minute to the utmost degree 
in the description of the dresses and accoutrements of his personages. 
These particulars, often inconsiderable in themselves, have the effect 
of giving truth and identity to the picture, and assist the mind in real- 
izing the scenes in a degree which no general description could sug- 
gest ; nor could we so completely enter the castle with Lord Marmion, 
were any circumstances of the description omitted." 

157. They hailed him, etc. Scott has the following note here : 

" Lord Marmion, the principal character of the present romance, is 
entirely a fictitious personage. In earlier times, indeed, the family of 
Marmion, Lords of Fontenay, in Normandy, was highly distinguished. 



248 NOTES. 

Robert de Marmion, Lord of Fontenay, a distinguished follower of the 
Conqueror, obtained a grant of the castle and town of Tamworth, and 
also of the manor of Scrivelby, in Lincolnshire. One or both of these 
noble possessions was held by the honorable service of being the 
royal champion, as the ancestors of Marmion had formerly been to the 
Dukes of Normandy. But after the castle and demesne of Tamworth 
had passed through four successive barons from Robert, the family be- 
came extinct in the person of Philip de Marmion, who died in 20th 
Edward L without issue male. He was succeeded in his castle of 
Tamworth by Alexander de Freville, who married Mazera, his grand- 
daughter. Baldwin de Freville, Alexander's descendant, in the reign of 
Richard L, by the supposed tenure of his castle of Tamworth, claimed 
the office of royal champion, and to do the service appertaining; namely, 
on the day of coronation to ride, completely armed, upon a barbed 
horse, into Westminster Hall, and there to challenge the combat against 
any who would gainsay the king's title. But this office was adjudged 
to Sir John Dymoke, to whom the manor of Scrivelby had descended by 
another of the coheiresses of Robert de Marmion ; and it remains in 
that family, whose representative is Hereditary Champion of England 
at the present day.i The family and possessions of Freville have 
merged in the Earls of Ferrars. I have not, therefore, created a 
new family, but only revived the titles of an old one in an imaginary 
personage. 

"It was one of the Marmion family, who, in the reign of Edward H., 
performed that chivalrous feat before the very castle of Nor ham, which 
Bishop Percy has woven into his beautiful ballad, ' The Hermit of 
Warkvvorth.' The story is thus told by Leland: 

" ' The Scottes came yn to the marches of England, and destroyed the 
castles of Werk and Herbotel, and overran much of Northumberland 
marches. 

" ' At this tyme, Thomas Gray and his friendes defended Norham 
from the Scottes. 

" ' It were a wonderful processe to declare, what mischefes cam by hun- 
gre and asseges by the space of xi. yeres in Northumberland ; for the 
Scottes became so proude after they had got Berwick, that they nothing 
esteemed the Englishmen. 

" ' About this tyme there was a greate feste made yn Lincolnshir, to 
which came many gentlemen and ladies ; and amonge them one lady 
brought a heaulme for a man of were, with a very rich creste of gold, to 
William Marmion, knight, with a letter of commandement of her lady, 
that he should go into the daungerest place in England, and ther to let 
the heaulme be seene and known as famous. So he went to Norham ; 
whither withyn 4 days of cumming cam Philip Moubray, guardian of 
Berwicke, having yn his bande 40 men of amies, the very flour of men 
of the Scottish marches. 

^ The last occasion of the champion's performance of his office was at the coronation 
of George IV. He was required to appear at the door of Westminster Hall, mounted 
on a white horse and clad in complete armor, "shortly before the serving of the second 
course of the coronation banquet." At the coronation of William IV. and Queen Vic- 
toria, the banquet being dispensed with, the champion's presence was not considered 
necessary. — Eu. 



CANTO I. 249 

" * Thomas Gray, capitayne of Norham, seynge this, brought his gari- 
son afore the barriers of the caste), behynd whom cam William, richly 
arrayed, as al glittering in gold, and wering the heaulme, his lady's 
pre>ent. 

" * Then said Thomas Gray to Marmion, " Sir knight, ye be cum hither 
to fame your helmet : mount up on yor horse, and rydc lyke a valiant 
man to Vowr foes even here at hand, and I forsake God if I rescue not 
thy body deadc or alyvc, or 1 myself wyl dye for it." 

'"'Whereupon he.toke his cin-scre, and rode among the throng of 
ennemyes; the which layed sore stripes on hym, and pullid hym at the 
last out of his sadel to the grounde. 

"'Then Thomas Gray, with al the hole garrison, lette prik yn among 
the Scottes, and so wondid them and their horses, that they were over- 
throwan ; and Marmion, sore beten, was horsid agayn, and, with Gray, 
persewed the Scottes yn chase. There were taken fifty horse of price ; 
and the women of Norham brought them to the foote men to follow the 
chase.' " 

162. All as. A common phrase in the old ballads. 

163. i\W', largesse, etc. "This was the cry with which heralds and 
pursuivants were wont to acknowledge the bounty received from the 
knights. Stewart of Lorn distinguishes a ballad, in which he satirizes 
the narrowness of James V., and his courtiers, by the ironical burden — 

' Lerges, Icrges, lerges, hay, 

Lerges 0/ this iiew-yeir day. 
First leif,'es of the King, my chief, 
Quhllk come als quiet as a theif, 

And in my hand slid schillings t\vay,i 
To put his lergnes to the preif,- 

For lerges of this new-yeir day.' 

" The heralds, like the minstrels, were a race allowed to have great 
claims upon the liberality of the knights, of whose feats they kept a rec- 
ord, and proclaimed them aloud, as in the te.\t, upon suitable occasions. 

" At Berwick, Norham, and other Border fortresses of importance, 
pursuivants usually resided, whose inviolable character rendered them 
the only persons that could, with perfect assurance of safety, be sent 
on necessary embassies into Scotland. This is alluded to in x.\i. be- 
low " (Scott). 

171. Lordlings. The diminutive is used in complimentary contrast 
to the Lord. 

174. The lists at Cottisivold. The tournament at Cotswold in Glouces- 
tershire. The downs there were a famous hunting-ground. Cf. Shakes- 
peare, Merry Wives, i. i, 92: " How does your fallow greyhound, sir? 
I heard say he was outrun on Cotsall." See also vi. 512 below. 

\%\. Pierce. The MS. has " cleave." 

185. Kez'crsed. Reversing the escutcheon of a knight, or hanging it 
upside down, was one of the ceremonies in degrading him, or depriving 
him of knighthood. 

192. Hugh the Heron. " Were accuracy of any consequence in a 
fictitious narrative, this castellan's name ought to have been William ; 

1 Two. - Proof. 



250 NOTES. 

for William Heron of Ford was husband to the famous Lady Ford, 
whose siren charms are said to have cost our James IV. so dear. 
Moreover, the said William Heron was, at the time supposed, a pris- 
oner in Scotland, being surrendered by Henry VHI., on account of his 
share in the slaughter of Sir Robert Ker of Cessford. His wife, repre- 
sented in the text as residing at the Court of Scotland, was, in fact, 
living in her own Castle at Ford. — See Sir Richard Heron's curious 
Genealogy of the Heron Family " (.Scott). 

Ford Castle is in Northumberland, on the east bank of the Till, within 
a few miles of the Scottish border and only one mile from Flodden 
Field. It was rebuilt in 1761, but some of the original towers were pre- 
served, and the new portions of the castle are in perfect keeping with 
the old. 

195. The deas. The dais, or elevated platform at the upper end of 
the castle-hall. 

199. Whiles. Formerly used interchangeably with while. 

200. A rhyme, etc. " The ballad here quoted was the production of 
Mr. R. Surtees, and palmed off by him upon Scott as a genuine relic of 
antiquity" (Lockhart). It may be found in Scott's Border Minstrelsy 
under the title of " The Death of Featherstonhaugh." 

203. Hardriding. This does not refer, as might be supposed, to 
horsemanship. Hardriding Dick was Richard Ridley of Hardriding, 
the name of the family seat. 

222. Couch a spear. To lay the spear in rest, or place its butt in the 
projection on the side of the armor called the rest ; that is, in position 
for use in attack or defence. Cf. iii. 428 and iv. 420 below. 

231. Wassail-bowl. The " gossip's bowl" of Shakespeare's Midsnm- 
mer-Nighfs Dream, ii. I. 47. It was filled with a mixture of ale (some- 
times wine), sugar, nutmeg, toast, and roasted "crabs," or crab-apples 
(cf. 384 below). As an old song says, 

" Our Wassel we do fill 
With apples and with spice ; " 

and again in the same lyric it is called " A Wassel of good ale " and 
"our spiced bowl." 

234. Biitjirst, etc. The MS. has "And let me pray thee fair." 

232. Crowned it high. That is, filled it so that the liquor rose above 
the brim. Nares quotes an old play : " We '11 drink her health in a 
crowned cup, my lads ! " 

238. Raby-toioers. Raby Castle, in the county of Durham, is one of 
the grandest old strongholds in the North of England. It now belongs 
to the Duke of Cleveland. 

243. To burnish, etc. The MS. has "To rub a shield or sharp a 
brand." 

254. Bower. Chamber; as often. Cf. 281 and 34S below, and see 
on i. ind. 321 above. 

255. Sooth. Truth. Cf. 443 (and v. 283) below, where sooth to tell = 
to tell the truth. We still have the word in soothsayer (teller of hidden 
truth). 

257. Lord Marmion, etc. The MS. reads thus: 



CANTO /. 251 

" Lord Marmion ill such jest could brook, 

He roll'd his kindling eye; 
Fix'd on the Knight his dark haught look. 

And answer'd stern and high : 
'That page thou did'st so closely eye, 

So fair of hand and skin, 
Is come, I ween, of lineage high, 

And of thy lady's kin. 
That youth, so like a paramour. 

Who wept for shame and pride, 
Was erst, in Wilton's lordly bower, 

Sir Ralph de Wilton's bride.' " 

261. Goodly. Adjectives in -ly are very often adverbial in poetry, as 
in old writers generally. 

264. Lindisfarnc. See on ii. 9 below. 

271. Light tales. The MS. has "strange things; " and in 273, "The 
captain gay replied." 

277. Fosse. Ditch or moat. 

284. Leash. The thong or cord by which the greyhound was held 
until let slip, or set free to pursue the game. Cf. Shakespeare, Cor. i, 
6.38: 

" Holding Corioli m the name of Rome, 
Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash, 
To let him slip at will." 

287. She'll stoop, etc. The MS. has "She'll stoop again when tired 
her wing." 

298. IVarbech. Scott has the following note here : " The story of 
Perkin Warbeck, or Richard, Duke of York, is well known. In 1496, 
he was received honorably in Scotland; and James IV., after confer- 
ring upon him in marriage his own relation, the Lady Catherine Gor- 
don, made war on England in behalf of his j^retensions. To retaliate 
an invasion of England, Surrey advanced into Berwickshire at the head 
of considerable forces, but retreated after taking the inconsiderable 
fortress of Ayto.n. Ford, in his Dramatic Chronicle 0/ Perkin IVarbech, 
makes the most of this inroad : 

' Surrey. Are all our braving enemies shrunk back, 
Hid in the fogges of their distemper'd climate, 
Not daring to behold our colours wave 
In spight of this infected ayre ? Can they 
Looke on the strength of Cundrestine deifac't ; 
The glorie of Heydonhall devasted; that 
Of Edington ca'^t downe ; the Pile of Fulden 
Orethrowne ; and this, the strongest of their forts, 
Old Ayton Castle, yeelded, and demolished. 
And yet not peepe abroad ? The Scots are bold, 
Hardie in battayie, but it seemes the cause 
They undertake considered, appears 
Unjoynted in the frame on't.' " 

301. IVhat time. At the time when ; a common poetical construction. 
Cf. Milton, Lycidas, 28: "What time the gray-fly winds her sultry 
horn," etc. 

302. Tro7u. Think, believe. Cf. Luke, xvii. 9. 



252 NOTES. 

303. Eiiaiv. An old form of enough, generally plural as here, and in 
iv. 187 below. Cf. Milton, P. L. ii. 504: "Man had not hellish foes 
enow besides," etc. 

304. Be. From the Anglo-Saxon (^^^v^, and used in old English inter- 
changeably with am, etc. The ist and 3d person plural be is common 
in Shakespeare and the Bible. 

Pricked. Spurred, ridden. Cf. Lady of the Lake, v. 4S6 : " Still at 
the gallop pricked the knight," etc. 

Scott says here . " The garrisons of the English castles of Wark, 
Norham, and Berwick, were, as may be easily supposed, very trouble- 
some neighbors to Scotland. Sir Richard Maitland of Ledington, 
wrote a poem, called ' The Blind Baron's Comfort,' when his barony 
of Blythe, in Lauderdale, was hai'iied by Rowland Foster, the English 
captain of Wark, with his company, to the number of 300 men. They 
spoiled the poetical knight of 5,000 sheep, 200 nolt, 30 horses and 
mares ; the whole furniture of his house of Blythe, worth 100 pounds 
Scots (L. 8:6:8), and everything else that was portable. 'This spoil 
was committed the i6th day of May, 1570 (and the said S'ir Richard 
was threescore and fourteen years of age, and grown blind), in time of 
peace; when nane of that country lippened [expected] such a thing.' 
' The Blind Baron's Comfort ' consists in a string of puns on the word 
■Blythe, the name of the lands thus despoiled. Like John Littlewit, he 
had ' a conceit left him in his misery — a miserable conceit.' 

" The last line of the text contains a phrase by which the Borderers 
jocularly intimated the burning a house. When the Maxwells, in 1685, 
burned the castle of Lockwood, they said they did so to give the Lady 
Johnstone 'light to set her hood.' Nor was the phrase inapplicable; 
for, in a letter to which I have mislaid the reference, the earl of North- 
umberland writes to the king and council, that he dressed himself, at 
midnight, at Warwick, by the blaze of the neighboring villages burned 
by the Scottish marauders." 

306. Saint Both an' s. Cf. vi. 460 below. 

307. Lauderdale. The dale, or valley, of the Lauder, a branch of the 
Tweed. The district is in the western part of Berwickshire, of which 
county Grcenlaiv (about 18 miles south of west from Berwick) is the 
capital. 

308. Harried. Pillaged, plundered. Cf. Tennyson, Coining of Ar- 
thur, 9 : 

" And still from time to time the heathen host 
Swai-med overseas, and harried what was left " 

312. IVou/d not lack. Would not want, or wish. 

324. Pardoner. A licensed seller oi pardons, or indulgences. It will 
be remembered that there was a pardoner among Chaucer's Pilgrims. 
330. The only men, etc. See on 163 above. 
332. A bishop, etc. See on i above. 

337. One stinted meal a day. As in the prolonged siege. 

338. Durham aisle. Durham cathedral. Cf. ii. 280 below. 

342. The priest of Shoreswood. " This churchman seems to have been 
akin to Welsh, the vicar of St. Thomas of Exeter, a leader among the 
Cornish insurgents in 1549. ' This man,' says Holinshed, ' had many 



CA.VTO I. 253 

good things in him. He was of no great stature, but well set, and 
mightilie compact : he was a very good wrestler; shot well, both in the 
long-bow, and also in the cross-bow ; he handled his hand-gun and 
peece very well ; he was a very good woodman, and a hardie, and such 
a one as vvould not give his head for the poling, or his beard for the 
washing. He was a companion in any exercise of activitie, and of a 
courteous and gentle behaviour. He descended of a good, honest 
parentage, being borne at Penevcrin, in Cornwall ; and yet, in this rebel- 
lion, an arch-captain, and a principal doer.' This model of clerical 
talents had the misfortune to be hanged upon the steeple of his own 
church" (Scott). 

348. /« /mil and bower. See on i. ind. 321 above. 

351. Holy-Rood. That is, Holy-Rood Abbey in Edinburgh. 

352. As ill befalls. As unluckily happens. 

354. Saint Bede. The " Venerable I>edc," who was a native of 
Northumberland. The day allotted him in the Calendar is May 27. 

358. An enemy to strife. ,Like Falstaff, considering discretion the 
better part of valor. 

360. Sivore. Used for the sake of rhyme instead of siuorn (cf. tore 
in 46S below) ; as by Shakespeare in L. L. Z. i. i. 114: 

" And though I liave for barbarism spoke more • 

Than for that angel knowledge you can say, 
Yet confident I '11 keep what 1 have swore," etc. 

362. Shrieve. Shrive, absolve. 

366. Carved to. For the preposition, cf. Shakespeare, C. of E. ii. 
2. 120: " Unless I . . . carved to thee," etc. 

36S. Woe loere ive. An " ungrainmatical remnant of ancient usage," 
as Abbott calls it in his Shakes. Gr. In our earliest writers 7voe is ofteii 
joined with the dative of the pronoun; as "woe is (to) me," etc. But 
even in the time of Chaucer we find the construction confused and "woe 
used as a predicate. Cf. Shakespeare, A. and C. iv. 14. 133: " Woe, 
woe are we, sir," etc. 

372, Tables. The old name for backgammon ; as in Shakespeare, 
L. L. L. V. 2. 326 : " That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice," etc. 
It also came to be applied to other games played with the same board 
and men. 

384. Crabs. Crab-apples. Cf. Shakespeare, L. L. L. v. 2. 935 : 
"When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl;" that is, the wassail-bowl. 
See on 231 above. 

387. By my fay . By my faith; as in I/anilef, ii. 2. 271 : "for, by my 
fay, I cannot reason," etc. Cf. 454 below. 

359. A holy Palmer. Scott says : " A Palmer, opposed to a Pilj^rim, 
was one who made it his sole business to visit different holy shrines, 
travelling incessantly, and subsisting by charity; whereas the Pilgrim 
retired to his usual home and occupations, when he harl paid his devo- 
tions at the particular spot which was the object of his jiilgrimage. 
'Ihe Palmers seem to have been the Qiucstionarii of the ancient Scot- 
tish canons 1242 and 1296. There is in the Bannatyne MS. a burlesque 
account of two such persons, entitled, ' Simmy and his Brother.' Their 



254 NOTES. 

accoutrements are thus ludicrously described (I discard the ancient 
spelling) : 

' Syne shaped them up, to loup on leas, 

Two tabards of the tartan ; 
They counted nought what their clouts were 

When sew'd them on, in certain. 
Syne clampit up St. Peter's keys, 

Made of an old red gartane ; 
St. James's shells, on t' other side, shews 

As pretty as a partane 
Toe, 
On Symmye and his brother.'" 

390. Saleifi. That is, Jerusalem. 

400. Thunder-dint. Thunder-stroke. For levin^ cf. i. ind. 73 above. 

402. Saint yames's cockle-shell. Saint James the Great is often repre- 
sented with the scallop-shell and other attributes of a pilgrim; as in 
Thorwaldsen's statue at Copenhagen, for example. 

403. Montserrat. A mountain in the northeastern part of Spain, 
famous for the Benedictine abbey built upon it. 

404. And of that Grot, etc. The MS. has " And of the Olives' shaded 
cell*, " and in 407 below, " Retired to God Saint Rosalie." 

Scott here quotes the Voyage to Sicily and Malta, by Mr. John Dry- 
den (son of the poet) : "Santa Rosalia was of Palermo, and born of a 
very noble family, and, when very young, abhorred so much the vani- 
ties of this world, and avoided the converse of mankind, resolving to 
dedicate herself wholly to God Almighty, that she, by divine inspira- 
tion, forsook her father's house, and never w^as more heard of, till her 
body was found in that cleft of a rock, on that almost inaccessible 
mountain, where now the chapel is built; and they affirm she was car- 
ried up there by the hands of angels ; for that place was not formerly 
so accessible (as now it is) in the days of the Saint; and even now it 
is a very bad, and steepy, and breakneck way. In this frightful place 
this holy woman lived a great many years, feeding only on what she 
found growing on that barren mountain, and creeping into a narrow 
and dreadful cleft in a rock, which was always droppmg wet, and was 
her place of retirement, as well as prayer ; having worn out even the 
rock with her knees, in a certain place, which is now opened on purpose 
to show it to those who come here. This chapel is very richly adorned ; 
and on the spot where the saint's dead body was discovered, which 
is just beneath the hole in the rock, which is opened on purpose, as I 
said, there is a very fine statue of marble, representing her in a lying 
posture, railed in all about with fine iron and brass work : and the 
altar, on which they say mass, is built just over it." 

409. Saint Thomas. The martyred Thomas a Becket. 

410. Ctcthbert. See on ii. 257 below ; and for Saint Bede, on 354 above. 
421. Gra7nercy. A corruption of the French graiid inerci, "great 

thanks; " often used to express surprise as well as thankfulness. 

426. Holy-Rood. Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Cf. 351 above. 

427. His good saint. Cf. 402 above. 

429. Angels, See on 146 above. 

430. Still. Ever; as often in the Elizabethan writers. Cf. 452 below. 



CANTO I. 255 

443. Sooth to tell. See on 255 above. 

447. As. As if; a common Elizabethan construction. Cf. Macbeth^ 
ii. 2. 28 : 

" One cried ' God bless us ! ' and ' Amen ! ' the other, 
As they had seen me with these hangman's hands." 

449. Wrote. Used for the sake of the rhyme, which is nevertheless an 
imperfect one. 

452. Himself still sleeps, etc. Scott says : " Friar John understood 
the soporific virtue of his beads and breviary, as well as his namesake 
in Rabelais. * But Gargantua could not sleej) by any means, on which 
side soever he turned himself. Whercujion the monk said to him, " I 
never sleep soundly but when I am at sermon or prayers : Let us there- 
fore begin, you and I, the seven penitential psalms, to try whether you 
shall not quickly fall asleep." The conceit pleased Gargantua very 
well; and, beginning the first of these psalms, as soon as they came to 
Bcati (jiionu/iy they fell asleep, both the one and the other.'" 

454. Let pass. Never mind. 

460. Ca?ne in place. Made his appearance, entered ; a phrase com- 
mon in the old ballads. Cf. in hall, 472 below, and in presence, 485. 

465. The scallop-shell. Cf. 402 above. 

467. Loretto. A city in Italy, famous for the Santa Casa, or Holy 
House, reputed to be that in which the Virgin lived at Nazareth, and 
which, after several miraculous translations, finally rested on its present 
site. 9 

468. Tore. Used instead of torn for the rhyme. Cf. 360 above. 
470. Palm-branch. Whence the name palmer. 

472. IVhenas. When ; often printed as two words in old books. 

478. And fronted, etc. The MS. has "And near Lord Marmion took 
his seat." 

479. As. As if. See on 447 above. 

481. Alas the while! A common old exclamation, literally = alas 
for the times! but practically equivalent to the simple alas! Woe the 
while ! is similarly used. 

485. In presence. In the presence-chamber, or hall of state. 

491. And blanch, etc. That the hair sometimes turns white from 
sudden or great fear, is a well-known fact. 

492. Hard toil, etc. The 1\LS. reads: 

" Hard toil can alter form and face, 

( roughen youthful grace, 
And want can j quench J ^,^^. ^^.^^ ^f grace." 

496. N'one of these. The MS. has "none such woes." 
500. So he zuonld, etc. If he would, etc. The MS. has "ride" for 
march. 

506. Where.f!;ood Saint Rule, etc. Scott has the following note here : 

"Saint Regulus {Scottice, St. Rule), a monk of Patrac, in Achaia, 

warned by a vision, is said, a. d. 370, to have sailed westward, until 

he landed at St. Andrew's, in Scotland, where he founded a chapel and 

tower. The latter is still standing ; and, though we may doubt the 



256 



NOTES. 



precise date of its foundation, is certainly one of the most ancient edi- 
fices in Scotland.- A cave, nearly fronting the ruinous castle of the 
Archbishops of St. Andrew's, bears the name of this religious person. 
It is difficult of access, and the rock in which it is hewed is washed by 
the German ocean. It is nearly round, about ten feet in diameter, and 
the same in height. On one side is a sort of stone altar; on the other 
an aperture into an inner den, where the miserable ascetic, who inhab- 
ited this dwelling, probably slept. At full tide, egress and regress is 
hardly practicable. As Regulus first colonized the metropolitan see of 
.Scotland, and converted the inhabitants in the vicinity, he has some 
reason to complain that the ancient name of Killrule {Cella Regidi) 
should have been superseded, even in favor of the tutelar saint of Scot- 
land. The reason of the change was, that St. Rule is said to have 
brought to Scotland the relics of St. Andrew." 

509. Samt Fi/laii's Messed zuell. " Saint Fillan was a Scottish saint of 
some reputation. . . . There are in Perthshire several wells and springs 
dedicated to St. Fillan, which are still places of pilgrimage and offer- 
ings, even among the Protestants. They are held powerful in cases of 
madness; and, in some of very late occurrence, lunatics have been left 
all night bound to the holy stone, in confidence that the saint would 
cure and unloose them before morning " (Scott). Cf. Ladj' of the Lake, 
p. 180. 

521. The Clip went through, etc. The MS. has "The cup passed 
round," etc. ; and in 526, " Soon died the merry wassail roar." 
* 534. A hasty mass. In a note to The Abbot, Scott says : " In Catholic 
countries, in order to reconcile the pleasures of the great with the ob- 
servances of religion, it was common, when a party was bent for the 
chase, to celebrate mass, abridged and maimed of its rites, called a 
hunting-mass, the brevity of which was designed to correspond with the 
impatience of the audience." 

536. Substantial. Metrically four syllables ; as words ending with 
-ial, -ion, -ean, etc., are often lengthened in Elizabethan and earlier 
poetry. In the next line, the ist ed. has " bugle." 

538. Stirriip-cnp. A cup of liquor given to a departing guest after he 
had mounted his horse. 

551.7/7/. The MS. has "Slow." 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SECOND. 

The Rev. John Marriot (so Scott spells the name, but recent eds. 
have Marriott) Avas tutor to George Henry, Eord Scott, son of Charles, 
Earl of Dalkeith, afterwards fourth Duke of Buccleuch and sixth of 
Queensberry. The young man died in 1808. Mr. Marriot wrote 
several ballads included in Scott's Border Minstrelsy. 

The Monthly Review remarks : " The second epistle opens again with 
'chance and change;^ but it cannot be denied that the mode in which 
it is introduced is new and poetical. The comparison of Ettrick 



CAXTO 11. 257 

Forest, now open and naked, with the state in which it once was, — 
covered with wood, the favorite resort of the royal hunt, and the refuge 
of daring outlaws, — leads the poet to imagine an ancient thorn gifted 
with the powers of reason, and relating the various scenes it has wit- 
nessed during a period of three hundred years. A melancholy train of 
fancy is naturally encouraged by the idea." 

I. 77ie scenes, etc. Scott has the following note here: 

*' Ettricke Forest, now a range of mountainous sheep-walks, was 
anciently reserved for the pleasure of the royal chase. Since it was 
disparked, the wood has been, by degrees, almost totally destroyed, 
although, wherever })rotected from the sheep, copses soon arise vvith- 
out any planting. When the king hunted there, he often summoned 
the array of the country to meet and assist his sport. Thus, in 1528, 
James V. 'made proclamation to all lords, barons, gentlemen, land- 
wardmen, and freeholders, that they should compear at Edinburgh, 
with a month's victuals, to pass with the king where he pleased, to 
danton the thieves of Tiviotdale, Annandale, Liddisdale, and other 
parts of that country; and also warned all gentlemen that had good 
dogs, to bring them, that he might hunt in the said country as he 
pleased: The whilk the Earl of Argyle, the Earl of Huntley, the Earl 
of Athole, and so all the rest of the gentlemen of the Highland, did, 
and brought their hounds with them in like manner, to hunt with the 
king, as he pleased. 

"'The second day of June the king passed out of Edinburgh to the 
hunting, with many of the nobles and gentlemen of Scotland with him, 
to the number of twelve thousand men; and then past to Meggitland, 
and hounded and haw"l<ed all the country and bounds; that is to say, 
Crammat, Pappert-Uiw, St. Mary-laws, Carlavirick, Chapel, Ewin- 
doores, and Longhope. I heard say, he slew, in these bounds, eighteen 
score of harts' (Pitscottie's I/ist. of Scot/and, folio ed. p. 143). 

" These huntings had, of course, a military character, and attendance 
upon them was a part of the duty of a vassal. The act for abolishing 
ward or military tenures in Scotland enumerates the services of hunt- 
ing, hosting, watching, and warding, as those which were in future to 
be illegal. 

" Taylor, the Water-Poet, has given an account of the mode in which 
these huntings were conducted in the Highlands of Scotland in the 
seventeenth century, having been present at Braemar upon such an 
occasion: 

" ' There did I find the truly noble and right honorable lords, John 
Erskine, Earl of Mar; James Stewart, Earl of Murray; George Gor- 
don, Earl of Engye, son and heir to thtf Marquis of lluntlcy; James 
Erskine, Earl of Buchan ; and John, Lord Erskine, son and heir to the 
Earl of Mar, and their Countesses, with my much honored, and my 
last assured and approved friend. Sir William Murray, knight of Aber- 
carney. and hundreds of others, knights, esquires, and their followers : 
all and every man, in general, in one habit, as if Lycurgus had been 
there, and made laws of equality ; for once in the year, which is the 
whole month ot August, and sometimes part of September, many of the 
nobility and gentry of the kingdom (for their pleasure) do come into 

1-7 



258 



NOTES. 



these Highland countries to hunt ; where they do conform themselves 
to the habit of the Highlandmen, who, for the most part, speak nothing 
but Irish; and, in former time, were those people which were called the 
Red-shanks, llieir habit is : shoes, with but one sole apiece ; stock- 
ings (which they call short hose), made of a warm stuff of diverse 
colors, which they call tartan ; as for breeches, many of them, nor their 
forefathers, never wore any, but a jerkin of the same stuff that their 
hose is of; their garters being bands or wreaths of hay or straw; with 
a plaid about their shoulders ; which is a mantle of diverse colors, much 
finer and lighter stuff than their hose ; with blue flat caps on their 
heads ; a handkerchief, knit with two knots, about their necks : and thus 
they are attired. Now, their weapons are : long bowes and forked 
arrows, swords, and targets, harquebusses, muskets, durks, and Locha- 
ber axes. With these arms I found many of them armed for the hunt- 
ing. As for their attire, any man, of what degree soever, that comes 
amongst them, must not disdain to wear it ; for if they do, then they 
will disdain to hunt, or willingly to bring in their dogs ; but if men be 
kind unto them, and be in their habit, then are they conquered with 
kindness, and the sport will be plentiful. This was the reason that I 
found so many noblemen and gentlemen in those shapes. But to pro- 
ceed to the hunting : 

" ' My good Lord of Mar having put me into that shape, I rode with 
him from his house, where I saw the ruins of an old castle, called the 
castle of Kindroghit. It was built by King Malcolm Canmore (for a 
hunting-house), who reigned in Scotland, when Edward the Confessor, 
Harold, and Norman William reigned in England. I speak of it, be- 
cause it was the last house I saw in those parts ; for I was the space of 
twelve days after, before I saw either house, cornfield, or habitation 
for any creature, but deer, wild horses, wolves, and such like creatures, 
which made me doubt that I should never have seen a house again. 

" ' Thus, the first day, we travelled eight miles, where there were 
small cottages, built on purpose to lodge in, which they call Lonquhards. 
I thank my good Lord Erskine, he commanded that I should always 
be lodged in his lodging: the kitchen being always on the side of a 
bank : many kettles and pots boiling, and many spits turning and wind- 
ing, with great variety of cheer, — as venison baked ; sodden, rost, and 
stewed beef; mutton, goats, kid, hares, fresh salmon, pigeons, hens, 
capons, chickens, partridges, muircoots, heath cocks, caperkellies, and 
termagants ; good ale, sacke, white and claret, tent (or allegant), with 
most potent aquavitae. 

" ' All these, and more than these, we had continually in superfluous 
abundance, caught by falconers, fowlers, fishers, and brought by my 
lord's tenants and purveyors to victual our camp, which consisteth of 
fourteen or fifteen hundred men and horses. The manner of the hunt- 
ing is this: Five or six hundred men do rise early in the morning, and 
they do disperse themselves divers ways, and seven, eight, or ten miles 
compass, they do bring, or chase in, the deer in many herds (two, three, 
or four hundred in a herd), to such or such a place, as the noblemen 
shall appoint them ; then, when day is come, the lords and gentlemen 
of their companies do ride or go to the said places, sometimes wading 



CAN JO J I. 259 

up to the middles, through burns and rivers ; and then, they being come 
to the place, do lie down on the ground, till those foresaid scouts, which 
are called the Tinkhell, do bring down the deer; but, as the proverb 
says of a bad cook, so these tinkhell men do lick their own fingers; for, 
besides their bows and arrows, which they carry with them, we can 
hear now and then, a harqucbuss or a musket go off, which they do 
seldom discharge in vain. Then after we had staid there three hours, 
or thereabouts, we might perceive the deer appear on the hills round 
about us (their heads making a show like a wood), which, being fol- 
lowed close by the tinkhell, are chased down into the valley where we 
lay ; then all the valley, on each side, being waylaid with a hundred 
couple of strong Irish greyhounds, they are all let loose, as occasion 
serves, upon the herd of deer, that with dogs, guns, arrows, durks, and 
daggers, in the space of two hours, fourscore fat deer were slain ; which 
after are disposed of, some one way and some another, twenty and 
thirty miles, and more than enough left for us, to make merry withall, 
at our rendezvous.' " 

14. How broad, etc. The MS. reads: 

" How broad the ash his shadows flung, 
How to the rock the rowan clung." 

The roioan is the mountain-ash. 

32. There oft, etc. "The tale of the Outlaw Murray, who held out 
Newark Castle and Ettrick Forest against the king, may be found in 
the Border Minstrelsy, vol. i. In the Macfarlane MS., among other 
causes of James the Fifth's charter to the burgh, is mentioned that the 
citizens assisted him to suppress this dangerous outlaw " (Scott). 

The ruins of Newark Castle are still to be seen at the confluence of 
the Ettrick and Yarrow, about a mile from Selkirk. They are just out- 
side the park of Bo^uhill (73 below). The castle was built by a Scottish 
tnonarch — James II. It plays an important part in The Lay of the 
Last Minstrel. 

41. Leash. See on i. 284 above. The gazehound is a hound that pur- 
sues by sight rather than by scent. The bratchet is defined by Scott as 
the " slowhound." 

45. Quarry. A technical term for the game, or animal hunted. Cf. 
Lady of the Lake, i. 127 : " Nor farther might the quarry strain," etc. 

48. The harquebnss (also spelt arquebus, arqncbiise, haqucbut, hagbtit, 
etc.) was a kind of heavy musket. Cf. v. 54 below. 

61. Holt. Wood or woodland; seldom used except in poetry. 

73. Bowhill. A seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, which he occasionally 
occupied. 

82. Fair as the elves, etc. Carterhaugh is a plain at the confluence of 
the Ettrick and Yarrow, two miles below Newark Castle. P^or the 
story of Janet and the elves, see the ballad of The Young Tamlane in 
the Border Minstrelsy. 

84. N'o youthful baron *j left, etc. Referring to the young nobleman 
mentioned above as Mr. Marriot's pupil. The Forest-Sheriff '\^ Scott, 
who then held the ofiicc. See p. 230 above. 

87. Oberon. The Fairy King of Shakespeare's M. N. D., etc. 



26o NOTES. 

88. And she is gone, etc. Harriet, Countess of Dalkeith, afterwards 
Duchess of Buccleuch. 

90-93. Though if . . . more fair. These four lines were not in the 
original MS. 

102. Yair. The ancient seat of the Pringles of Whytbank, about two 
miles below Ashestiel on the Tweed. The boys mentioned just below 
were the sons of Alexander Pringle, Esq , who was then the Lord of 
Yair. 

113. Wallace wight. The gallant or warlike Wallace, as in vi. 611 
below. The adjective in the old poets means quick, agile, etc., es- 
pecially in war. Cf. Imp. Diet. 

114. His airy mound, etc. "There is, on a high mountainous ridge 
above the farm of Ashestiel, a fosse called Wallace's Trench" (Scott). 

125. And Passion ply. The MS. has "And youth shall ply." 

133. Bent. Slope, declivity; a rare word. 

147. Lone Saint Mary's silent lake. "This beautiful sheet of water 
forms the reservoir from which the Yarrow takes its source. It is 
connected with a smaller lake, called the Loch of the Lowes, and sur- 
rounded by mountains. In the winter, it is still frequented by flights of 
wild swans ; hence my friend Mr. Wordsworth's lines: 

' The swans on sweet Saint Mary's lake 
Float double, swan and shadow.' 

"Near the lower extremity of the lake are the ruins of Dryhope 
Tower, the birthplace of Mary Scott, daughter of Philip Scott of Dry- 
hope, and famous by the traditional name of the Flower of Yarrow. 
She was married to Walter Scott of Harden, no less renowned for his 
depredations than his bride for her beauty. Her romantic appellation 
was, in latter days, with equal justice, conferred on Miss Mary Lilias 
Scott, the last of the elder branch of the Harden family. The editor 
well remembers the talent and spirit of the latter Flower of Yarrow, 
though age had then injured the charms which procured her the name. 
The words usually sung to the air of ' Tweedside,' beginning 'What 
beauties does Flora disclose,' were composed in her honor " (Scott). 

Lockhart says : " W^ordsworth thought that Scott showed a lack of 
poetic appreciation in thus misquoting 'sweet ' for ' still ' in these lines 
from Yarroto Unvisited.'' Of course, it was a mere slijD of memory, 
like " swans " and "Float " for "swan " and " Floats." The descrip- 
tion of the lake in 14S fol. certainly indicates no lack of poetic appre- 
ciation. 

151. Level. The MS. shows that Scott at first wavered between 
"silent" and "silver;" and the next line had originally "just a line of 
pebbly sand." In 154, 155, the MS. has 

" Far traced upon the lake you view 
The hill's { jj^^e j sides and sombre hue." 

177. Our Lady s Chapel. "The Chapel of Saint Mary of the Lowes 
{de lacnbns) was situated on the eastern side of the lake, to which it 
gives name. It was injured by the clan of Scott, in a feud with the 
Cranstouns, but continued to be a place of worship during the seven- 



CAA'/'O //. 2G1 

teenth century. The vestiges of the building can now scarcely be 
traced; but the burial ground is still used as a cemetery. A funeral, in 
a spot so very retired, has an unconnnonly striking effect. The ves- 
tiges of the chaplain's house are yet visible. Being in a high situation, 
it commanded a full view of the lake, with the opposite mountain of 
Bourhope, belonging, with the lake itself, to Lord Napier. On the left 
hand is the tower of Dryhoj)c, mentioned in a preceding note " (Scott). 
184 I/ere have I thought, etc. Cf. a somewhat similar passage in 
Lady of the Lake, i. 280 fol.: "And, 'What a scene were here,' he 
cried," etc. 

186. That same peaceful hermitage, tic. '^c& /I Penseroso, 167: 
" And may at last my weary age 

Kind out the peaceful hermitage, 

The hairy gown and mossy cell. 

Where 1 may sit and rightly spell 

Of every star that heaven doth sliow, 

And every herb that sips the dew ; 

'I'ill old experience do attain 

To something like prophetic strain. 

202. The IVizarcfs grave. " At one corner of the burial ground of 
the demolished chapel, but without its precincts, is a small mound, 
called Binram''s corse, where tradition deposits the remains of a necro- 
mantic priest, the former tenant of the chaplainry. His story much 
resembles that of Ambrosio in The Monk, and has been made the 
theme of a ballad by my friend Mr. James Hogg, more poetically des- 
ignated the Ettrick Sliepherd. To his volume entitled The Mountain 
Bard, which contains tliis and many other legendary stories and ballads 
of great merit, 1 refer the curious reader " (Scott). 

220. Spread wide, etc. The MS. has "Spread through broad mist 
their snowy sail ; " in 227, "Till fancy wild had all her sway ; " and in 
235, " brain " for broio. 

248. And my black Palmer's choice, etc. If, as Lockhart says (see p. 
233 above), Scott at first intended to pul)lish these Introductions in a 
volume by themselves, he evidently modified them somewhat, when he 
decided to incorporate them in Marmion, by inserting passages like the 
present, which serve to connect them in some slight way with the cantos 
they preface. 

249. Loch-skene. " A mountain lake, of considerable size, at the head 
of the Moffat-water. The character of the scenery is uncommonly 
ravage, and the earn, or Scottish eagle, has for many ages built its 
nest yearly upon an islet in the lake. Loch-skene discharges itself into 
a brook, which, after a short and jirecipitate course, falls from a cata- 
ract of immense height and gloomy grandeur, called, from its a]> 
pearance, the 'Gray Mare's Tail.' The 'Giant's Grave,' afterwards 
mentioned, is a sort of trench which bears that name, a little way from 
the foot of the cataract. It has the appearance of a battery, designed 
to command the pass" (Scott). 

269. Linn. Cataract. See on i. ind. 3 above. 

274. Thy harp. For Mr. Marriot's ballads in the Border Minstrelsy, 
see p. 256 above. On /sis = at Oxford, which is situated on the Isis, a 
tributary of the Thames. 



2 62 NOTES. 



CANTO SECOND. 



I. The breeze, etc. We may safely assert that this passage has never 
been correctly pointed until now. In the ist edition a period was acci- 
dentally substituted for a comma at the end of line 5, and neither the 
author nor any former editor appears to have detected the error, though 
it makes nonsense of the passage by changing the participle rolled 
(referring to smoke) to a past tense of which breeze is the subject. The 
breeze I'olled 7'02ind iVorham Castle! Is it conceivable that Scott wrote 
such stuff as that, or made the sentence beginning with line 6 grammati- 
cally independent of what precedes t 

9. High Whitby's cloistered pile. " The Abbey of Whitby, on the 
coast of Yorkshire, was founded A. D. 657, in consequence of a vow of 
Oswy, King of Northumberland. It contained both monks and nuns 
of the Benedictine order; but, contrary to what was usual in such es- 
tablishments, the abbess was superior to the abbot. The monastery 
was afterwards ruined by the Danes, and rebuilded by William Percy, 
in the reign of the Conqueror. There were no nuns there in Henry 
the Eighth's time, nor long before it. The ruins of Whitby Abbey are 
very magnificent. 

" Lindisfarne, an isle on the coast of Northumberland, was called 
Holy Island, from the sanctity of its ancient monasterv, and from its 
having been the Episcopal seat of the see of Durham during the early 
ages of British Christianity. A succession of holy men held that office ; 
but their merits were swallowed up in the superior fame of St. Cuth- 
bert, who was sixth bishop of Durham, and who bestowed the name of his 
'patrimony ' upon the extensive property of the see. The ruins of the 
monaster}^ upon Holy Island betoken great antiquity. The arches are, 
in general, strictly Saxon ; and the pillars which support them, short, 
strong, and massy. In some places, however, there are pointed win- 
dows, which indicate that the building has l^een repaired at a period 
long subsequent to the original foundation. The exterior ornaments of 
the building, being of a light sandy stone, have been wasted, as de- 
scribed in the text. Lindisfarne is not properly an island, but rather, 
as the venerable Bede has termed it, a semi-isle; for, although sur- 
roun'ded by the sea at full tide, the ebb leaves the sands dry between it 
and the opposite coast of Northumberland, from which it is about three 
miles distant "(Scott). 

14. As. As if. See on i. 447 above. 

33. Sea-dog. The seal, as the description proves; not the dog-fish, 
as it sometimes means. 

39. Dedicated. That is, to heaven. 

61. For this, Qtc. The MS. has '"Twas she that gave," etc; and 
just below : 

" 'Twas she, with carving rare and quaint. 
Who decked," etc 

79. Voyage. Metrically a dissyllable. 

115. Harpers have siuig, etc. See, for instance, the story of Una and 
the Lion in the Faerie Qiieene. 



CANTO /I. 263 

124. IVith their bowl. That is, with poison. 

132. Monk-Wearmouth. At the mouth of the Wear, and a place of 
some note in the olden time. The monastery, founded in 674, was 
destroyed by the Danes in the 9th century, but was restored after the 
Conquest. Tynemonth, at the mouth of the Tyne, about eight miles 
farther on, was the seat of ?i priory, of which the ruins still exist. See 
on 371 below. 

135. Seaton-Dc'lixval. The seat of the Delaval family, who by mar- 
riage became the possessors of Ford Castle. The hall is now a ruin. 

136. The Blythe and IVansbeck floods. Rivers flowing into the North 
Sea. 

138. The toxoer of Widderi)igto7t. Widderington Castle, still farther 
north on the coast, destroyed by fire, the only remnant of the original 
structure being a single tower. The family was a famous one. See the 
ballad of Chevy Chase in Percy's Reliqtics, etc. 

140. Coqnel-isle. A small island not far from the mouth of the Coquet 
river, where the remains of the ancient cell, or monastery, are still to 
be seen. 

142. The Ahie. This river is a few miles north of the Coquet, on 
the banks of which, about a mile i\ow\ its mouth, is the grand Castle of 
Warkiuorth, the favorite residence of the Percy family, to whom it still 
belongs. 

147. Diinstanborough'' s caverned shore. A wild and rocky part of the 
coast, where Dunstanborough Castle formerly stood. 

148. Bamboroiigh. This castle, of which the massive keep yet stands 
on its tall rock., was built by King Ida in the year 547. By the will of 
Lord Crewe, Bishop of Durham, in 1720, it was devoted to charitable 
purposes, and now contains an asylum and infirmary for shipwrecked 
sailors, etc. It is within sight of Holy Island, which is about six 
miles off. 

154. The tide, etc. See on 9 above. 

164. Battled. See on i. 4 above. 

173. By pointed aisle, etc. Pointed arches and clustered columns 
were not known in the Saxon and Norman architecture of England, 
but appear first in the " Early English " Gothic of the close of the 
1 2th century. 

181. Roz'ers. That is, the Danes, who made frequent incursions on 
the coast of Northumberland. 

211. Hale. Haul; of which word it is an old form. Ci. Luhe xn. 
58 and Acts viii. 3. 

233. Three barons bold, etc. Scott says : " The popular account of this 
curious service, which was probably considerably exaggerated, is thus 
given in A True Account, printed and circulated at Whitby : ' In the 
fifth year of the reign of Henry II., after the conquest of England by 
William, Duke of Normandy, the lord of Uglebarnby, then called Wil- 
liam de Bruce, the lord of Smeaton, called Ralph de Percy, with a 
gentleman and freeholder called Allatson, did, on the i6th of ' October, 
1 1 59, appoint to meet and hunt the wild boar, in a certain wood, or 
desert place, belonging to the abbot of Whitby: the place's name was 
Eskdale-side ; and the abbot's name was Sedman. Then, these voung 



264 



NOTES. 



gentlemen being met, with their hounds and boar-staves, in the place 
before mentioned, and there having found a great wild boar, the hounds 
ran him well near about the chapel and hermitage of Eskdale-side, 
where was a monk of Whitby, who was an hermit. The boar, being 
very sorely pursued, and dead-run, took in at the chapel door, there 
laid him down, and presently died. The hermit shut the hounds out of 
the chajDel, and kept himself within at his meditations and pravers, the 
hounds standing at bay without. The gentlemen, in the thick of the 
wood, being put behind their game, followed the cry of their hounds, 
and so came to the hermitage, calling on the hermit^ who opened the 
door, and came forth ; and within they found the boar lying dead : for 
which the gentlemen, in a very great fury, because the hounds were put 
from their game, did most violently and cruelly run at the hermit with 
their boar-staves, whereby he soon after died. Thereupon the gentle- 
men perceiving and knowing that they were in peril of death, took 
sanctuary at Scarborough ; but at that time the abbot being in very 
great favor with the king, removed them out of the sanctuary ; whereby 
they came in danger of the law, and not to be privileged, but likely to 
have the severity of the law, which was death for death. But the her- 
mit being a holy and devout man, and at the point of death, sent for the 
abbot, and desired him to send for the gentlemen who had wounded him. 
The abbot so doing, the gentlemen came ; and the hermit being very 
sick and weak, said unto them, " I am sure to die of those wounds you 
have given me." The abbot answered, " They shall as surely die for 
the same." But the hermit answered, " Not so, for I will freely forgive 
them my death, if they will be content to be enjoined the penance I 
shall lav on them for the safeguard of their souls." The gentlemen 
being present, bade him save their lives. Then said the hermit : " You 
and yours shall hold your lands of the abbot of Whitby, and his suc- 
cessors, in this manner : That, upon Ascension-day, you, or some of 
you, shall come to the wood of the Strayheads, which is in Eskdale- 
side, the same day at sun-rising, and there shall the abbot's officer blow 
his horn, to the intent that you may know where to find him ; and he 
shall deliver unto you, William de Bruce, ten stakes, eleven .strout stow- 
ers, and eleven yethers, to be cut by you, or some for you, with a knife 
of one penny price ; and you, Ralph de Percy, shall take twenty-one of 
each sort, to be cut in the same manner ; and you, Allatson, shall take 
nine of each sort, to be cut as aforesaid ; and to be taken on your backs, 
and carried to the town of Whitby, and to be there before nine of the 
clock the same day before mentioned. At the same hour of nine of the 
clock, if it be full sea, your labor and service shall cease ; and, if low 
water, each of you shall set your stakes to the brim, each stake one yard 
from the other, and so yether them on each side with your yethers ; and 
so stake on each side with your strout stowers, that they may stand 
three tides, without removing by the force thereof. Each of you shall 
do, make, and execute the said service, at that very hour, every year, 
except it be full sea at that hour ; but when it shall so fall out, this 
service shall cease. You shall faithfully do this, in remembrance that 
you did most cruelly slay me ; and that you may the better call to God 
for mercy, repent unfeignedly of your sins, and do good works. The 



CANTO If. 205 

officer of Eskdale-side shall blow, Out on you ! Out on you ! Out on you ! 
for this heinous- crime. If you, or your successors, shall refuse this 
service, so long as it shall not be full sea at the aforesaid hour, you, or 
yours, shall forfeit your lands to the abbot of Whitby, or his succes- 
sors. This I entreat, and earnestly beg, that you may have lives and 
goods preserved for this service ; and I request of you to promise, by 
your parts in heaven, that it shall be done by you, and your successors, 
as is aforesaid requested ; and 1 will confirm it by the faith of an 
honest man." Then the hermit said, " My soul longeth for the 
Lord ; and I do as freely forgive these men my death, as Christ for- 
gave the thieves on the cross." And, in the presence of the abbot 
and the rest, he said moreover these words, " /// manus tuas, Domine, 
com men do spiritum me urn, a vincuUs enim mortis redemptisti me, 
Domine veritatis. Amen.'' — So he yielded up the ghost the eighth 
dav of December, anno Domini 1 159, whose soul God have mercy 
upon. Amen. 

" ' This service,' it is added, ' still continues to be performed with the 
proscribed ceremonies, though not by the proprietors in person. Part 
of the lands charged therewith are now held by a gentleman of the 
name of Herbert.' " 

244. Edeljled. " vShe was the daughter of King Oswy, who, in grati- 
tude to Heaven for the great victory which he won in 655. against Penda, 
the pagan King of Mercia, dedicated Edelileda, then but a year old, to 
the service of God, in the monastery of Whitby, of which St. Hilda was 
then abbess. She afterwards adorned the place of her education with 
great magnificence " (Scott). 

245. And ho-cu of thousand snakes, etc. " These two miracles are much 
insisted upon by all ancient w^riters, who have occasion to mention either 
Whitbv or St. Hilda. The relicpies of the snakes which infested the 
precincts of the convent, and were, at the abbess's prayer, not only be- 
headed, but petrified, are still found about the rocks, and are termed by 
Protestant fossilists Ammonitd. 

"The other nn'racle is thus mentioned by Camden: 'It is also as- 
cribed to the power of her sanctity, that these wild geese, which, in the 
winter, fly in great flocks to the lakes and rivers unfrozen in The south- 
ern parts, to the great amazement of every one, fall down suddenly upon 
the ground, w^hen they are in their flight over certain neighboring fields 
hereabouts : a relation I should not have made, if I had not received it 
from several credible men. But those who are less inclined to heed 
superstition, attribute it to some occult quality in the ground, and to 
somewhat of antipathy between it and the geese, such as they say is 
between wolves and scylla-roots. For that such hidden tendencies and 
aversions, as we call symjiathies and antijiathies, are implanted in many 
things by provident nature for the preservation of them, is a thing so 
evident, that everybody grants it.' The geese, it is almost unnecessary 
to add, have now forgot their obeisance to Saint Hilda, or their antipa- 
thy to the soil, and fly over Whitby with as little difficulty as anywhere 
else " (Scott). 

Mr. Charlton, in his f/istorv of Whitby, suggests that the fable arose 
from the number of sea-guUs'that often'alight near Whitby when flying 



266 NOTES. 

from a storm ; and from the woodcocks and other birds of passage 
which do the same on reaching the shore after a long flight. 

257. His body's resting-place, etc. " St. Cuthbert was, in the choice 
of his sepulchre, one of the most mutable and unreasonable saints in 
the Calendar. He died A. d. 688, in a hermitage upon the Fame Islands, 
having resigned the bishopric of Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, about two 
years before. His body was brought to Lindisfarne, where it remained 
until a descent of the Danes, about 793, when the monastery was nearly 
destroyed. The monks fled to Scotland, with what they deemed their 
chief treasure, the relics of St. Cuthbert. The saint was, however, a 
most capricious fellow-traveller ; which was the more intolerable, as, 
like Sinbad's Old Man of the Sea, he journeyed upon the shoulders of 
his companions. They paraded him through Scotland for several years, 
and came as far west as Whithern, in Galloway, whence they attempted 
to sail for Ireland, but were driven back by tempests. He at length 
made a halt at Norham ; from thence he went to Melrose, where he re- 
mained stationary for a short time, and then caused himself to be 
launched upon the Tweed in a stone cofhn, which landed him at Til- 
mouth, in Northumberland. This boat is finely shaped, ten feet long, 
three feet and a half in diameter, and only four inches thick ; so that, 
with very little assistance, it might certainly have swam. It still lies, or 
at least did so a few years ago, in two pieces, beside the ruined chapel 
of Tilmouth. From Tilmouth, Cuthbert wandered into Yorkshire ; and 
at length made a long stay at Chester-le-Street, to which the bishop's 
see was transferred. At length, the Danes continuing to infest the 
country, the monks removed to Ripon for a season ; and it was in re- 
turning from thence to Chester-le-Street, that, passing through a forest 
called Dunholme, the saint and his carriage became immovable at a 
place named Wardlaw, or Wardilaw. Here the saint chose his place 
of residence ; and all who have seen Durham must admit, that, if diffi- 
cult in his choice, he evinced taste in at length fixing it. It is said that 
the Northumbrian Catholics still keep secret the precise spot of the 
saint's sepulture, which is only intrusted to three persons at a time. 
When one dies, the survivors associate to them, in his room, a person 
judged fit to be the depositary of so valuable a secret " (Scott). 

Lockhart adds: "The res'ting-place of the remains of this saint' is 
not now matter of uncertainty. So recently as 17th May, 1827, 1139 
years after his death, their discovery and disinterment were effected. 
Under a blue stone, in the middle of the shrine of St. Cuthbert, at the 
eastern extremity of the choir of Durham Cathedral, there was then 
found a walled grave, containing the cofiins of the saint. The first, or 
outer one, was ascertained to be that of 1541, the second of 1041 ; the 
third, or inner one, answering in every particular to the description of 
that of 698, was found to contain, not indeed, as had been averred then, 
and even until 1539, the incorruptible body, but the entire skeleton of 
the saint ; the bottom of the grave being perfectly dry, free from offen- 
sive smell, and without the slightest symptom that a human body had 
ever undergone decomposition within its walls. The skeleton was found 
swathed in five silk robes of emblematical embroidery, the ornamental 
parts laid with gold leaf and these again covered with a robe of linen. 



CANTO II. 267 

Beside the skeleton was also deposited several gold and silver insignia, 
and other relics of the saint. The bones of the saint were again re- 
stored to the grave in a new coffin, amid the fragments of the former 
ones. Those portions of the inner coffin which could be preserved, 
including one of its rings, with the silver altar, golden cross, stole, comb, 
two maniples, bracelets, girdle, gold wire of the skeleton, and fragments 
of the five silk robes, and some of the rings of the outer coffin made in 
1541, were deposited in the library of the Dean and Chapter, where 
they are now preserved." 

287. Even Scotland's dauntless kitig, etc. " Every one has heard that 
when David I., with his son Henry, invaded Northumberland in 1136, 
the English host marched against them under the holy banner of St. 
Cuthbert ; to the efficacy of which was imputed the great victory which 
they obtained in the bloody battle of Northallerton, or Cuton-moor. 
The conquerors were at least as much indebted to the jealousy and in- 
tractability of the different tribes who composed David's army ; among 
whom, as mentioned in the text, were the Galwegians, the Britons of 
Strath-Clyde, the men of Teviotdale and Lothian, with many Norman 
and German warriors, who asserted the cause of the Empress Maud. 
See Chalmers's Caledonia, vol. i. p. 622; a most laborious, carious, 
and interesting publication, from which considerable defects of style 
and manner ought not to turn aside the Scottish antiquary" (Scott). 

293. 'Tiuas he, etc. "Cuthbert, we have seen, had no great reason 
to spare the Danes, when opportunity offered. Accordingly, I find in 
Simeon of Durham, that the saint appeared in a vision to Alfred, when 
lurking in the marshes of Glastonbury, and promised him assistance 
and victory over his heathen enemies : a consolation which, as was 
reasonable, Alfred, after the victory of Ashendown, rewarded by a royal 
offering at the shrine of the saint. As to William the Conqueror, the 
terror spread before his army, when he marched to punish the revolt 
of the Northumbrians, in 1096, had forced the monks to fly once more 
to Holy Island with the body of the saint. It was, however, replaced 
before William left the North; and, to balance accounts, the Conqueror 
having intimated an indiscreet curiosity to view the saint's body, he 
was, while in the act of commanding the shrine to be opened, seized 
with heat and sickness, accompanied with such a panic terror that, not- 
withstanding there was a sumptuous dinner prepared for him, he fled 
without eating a morsel (which the monkish historian seems to have 
thought no small part both of the miracle and the penance), and never 
drew his bridle till he got to the river Tees " (Scott). 

296. Boioyer. Bowman, archer. Cf. sau<yer, laicyer, etc. 

300. Saint Cuthbert sits, etc. "Although we do not learn that Cuth- 
bert was, during his life, such an artificer as Dunstan, his brother in 
sanctity, yet since his death he has acquired the reputation of forging 
those Entrochi which are found among the rocks of Holy Island, and 
pass there by the name of St. Cuthbert's Beads. While at this task, 
he is supposed to sit during the night upon a certain rock, and use 
another as his anvil. This story was perhaps credited in former 
davs ; at least the saint's legend contains some not more probable " 
(Scott). 



2 68 NOTES. 

306. Seen but, etc. The MS. has " Seen only when the gathering- 
storm." For the position of but, cf. iv. 362 below. 

316. Old Colwiilf, etc. "Ceolwulf, or Cohvulf, King of Northumber 
land, flourished in the eighth century. . He was a man of some learning ; 
for the Venerable Eede dedicates to him his Ecclesiastical History. 
He abdicated the throne about 738, and retired to Holy Island, where 
he died in the odor of sanctity. Saint as Colwulf was, however, I fear 
the foundation of the penance-vault does not correspond with his char- 
acter; for it is recorded among his ineniombilia, that, finding the air of 
the island raw and cold, he indulged the monks, whose rule had hitherto 
confined them to milk or water, with the comfortable privilege of using 
wine or ale. If any rigid antiquary insists on this objection, he is wel- 
come to suppose the penance-vaiilt was intended, by the founder, for 
the more genial purposes of a cellar. 

" These penitential vaults were the Geissel-gezaolbe of German con- 
vents. In the earlier and more rigid times of monastic discipline, they 
were sometimes used as a cemetery for the lay benefactors of the con- 
vent, whose unsanctified corpses were then seldom permitted to pollute 
the choir. They also served as places of meeting for the chapter, when 
measures of uncommon severity were to be adopted. But their most 
frequent use, as implied by the name, was as places for performing 
penances, or undergoing punishment " (Scott). 

329. Whence. The ist ed. has " Where." 

346. Wore. See on i. 360 above. 

350. Cresset. " Antique chandelier " (Scott). The MS. reads : 



" Suspended by an iron chain 
■ dark 
drear 



A cresset sliow'd this \ ^^j}^^ \ domain."' 



360. Iron. The MS. has "stony." 

371. Tyjiemoiith's haughty prioress. See on 132 above. Scott says 
here: "That there was an ancient priory at Tynemouth is certain. Its 
ruins are situated on a high rocky point; and, doubtless, many a vow 
was made at the shrine bv the distressed mariners, who drove towards 
the iron-hound coast of Northumberland in stormy weather. It was 
anciently a nunnery ; for Virca, abbess of Tynemouth, presented St. 
Cuthbert (yet alive) with a rare winding-sheet, in emulation of a holy 
lady called' Tuda, who had sent him a coffin. But, as in the case of 
Whitby, and of Holy Island, the introduction of nuns at Tynemouth, in 
the reign of Henry VIII., is an anachronism. The nunnery at Holy 
Island Is altogether fictitious. Indeed, St. Cuthbert was unlikely to 
permit such an establishment; for, notwithstanding his accepting the 
mortuary gifts above mentioned, and his carrying on a visiting acquamt- 
ance with the abbess of Coldingham, he certainly hated the whole fe- 
male sex; and, in revenge of a stippery trick played to him by an Irish 
princess, he, after death, inflicted severe penances on such as presumed 
to approach within a certain distance of his shrine." 

376. Ruth. Pitv; obsolete, though we still have riithless. Cf. 
Milton, Lycidas,\(ii: "Look homeward, Angel, now, and melt with 
ruth," etc. 



CANTO //. 269 

389. The badge of blue, etc. Cf. i. 85 fol. above. 

398. Fontevraiid. The abbey of Fontevraud (a small town in the 
valley of the Loire, eight miles from Saumur) was one of the richest in 
France. The buildings are now used as a prison. 

401. When thus her face, etc. Byron, in a letter to his publisher, 
Murrav, dated Feb. 3, 18 16, says : " I sent for Marmion because it oc- 
curred to me there might be a resemblance between part of Parisiua 
and a similar scene in the second canto of Marmion. I fear there is, 
though I never thought of it before, and could hardly wish to imitate 
that which is inimitable. I wish you would ask Mr. Gifford whether 
I ought to say anything upon it. I had completed the story on the pas- 
sage from Gibbon, which indeed leads to a like scene naturally, without 
a thought of the kind ; but it comes upon me not very comfortably." 
Cf . Parisina : 

'' . . . Parisina's fatal charms 

Again attracted every eye — 

Would she thus hear him doom'd to die ! 

She stood, I said, all pale and still, 

The living cause of Hugo's ill ; 

Her eyes unmoved, but full and wide, 

Not once had turn'd to either side — 

Nor once did those sweet eyelids close, 

Or shade the glance o'er which they rose, 

But round their orbs of deepest blue 

The circling white dilated grew — 

And there with glass\' gaze she stood 

As ice were in her curdled blood ; 

But every now and then a tear 
So large and slowly gather'd slid 
From the long dark fringe of that fair lid. 

It was a thing to see, not hear ! 

And those who saw, it did surprise, 

Such drops could fall from human eyes. 

To speak she thought — the imperfect note 

Was choked w ithin her swelling throat, 

Yet seem'd in that low hollow groan 

Her whole heart gushing in the tone." 

. 420. Aspires. Some eds. misprint " inspires." 

438. Grisly. Grim, horrible ; an obsolete word common in old poe- 
try. Cf. Shakespeare, i Hen. VI., \. 4. 47 : " My grisly countenance made 
others fly," etc. See also iii. 382 below. 

448. Cement. Accented on the first syllable, as the noun should be. 

450. Chose. Used instead of chosen for the rhyme's sake. Cf. i. 360, 
468 above. 

451. Mankind. Accented by Scott (as generally by Shakespeare) 
on the first syllable. Cf. Lady of the Lake, iii. 161 : "Thus the lone 
Seer, from mankind hurled," etc. 

458. Still. Ever. See on i. 430 above. 

464. And kne^u not 7i<hcre. The reading of the ist ed. The modern 
eds. (including Lockhart's) have " nor knew not where." 

465. Alive, etc. " It is well known that the religious who broke 
their vows of chastity were subjected to the same j^enalty as the Roman 
vestals in a similar case. A small niche, sufficient to inclose their 
bodies, was made in the massive wall of the convent ; a slender pittance 



270 NOTES. 

of food and water was deposited in it, and the awful words, Vade in 
pacevi, were the signal for immuring the criminal. It is not likely that, 
in latter times, this punishment was often resorted to; but, among the 
ruins of the abbey of Coldingham, were some years ago discovered the 
remains of a female skeleton, which, from the shape of the niche and 
position of the figure, seemed to be that of an immured nun " (Scott). 

Lockhart, in repriijting the above note, has " Vade in pace ; " but it 
is " paeem " in the ist ed. As the Edinburgh Revieiu noted, Scott mis- 
translates the Latin in 601 below. The meaning is " Go into peaee, or 
into eternal rest, a pretty intelligible mittimus to another world." 

475. ' T'cvixt each attempt. A blunderiug construction, sometimes found 
in good prose writers. 

477. ^Twas ocean'' s swells, etc. A harsh line. 

486. A hectic, etc. The MS. reads: 

" A feeble and a fliiUer'd streak, 
Like that with which the mornings break 
In Autumn's sober sky." 

491. And armed herself , etc. The MS. has: 

" And mann'd herself to bear. 
It was a fearful thing to see 
Such high resolve and constancy, 

In form so soft and fair ; 
Like Summer's dew her accents fell, 
But dreadful was her tale to tell." 

The next stanza goes on thus : 

" I speak not now to sue for grace, 
For well I know one minute's space 

Your mercy scarce would grant : 
Nor do I speak your prayers to gain ; 
For if my penance be in vain, 

Your prayers I cannot want. 
Full well I knew the Church's doom, 
What time I left a convent's gloom, 

To fly with him I loved ; 
And well my folly's meed he gave — 
I forfeited, to be a slave, 
All here, and all beyond the grave, 

And faithless hath he proved ; 
He saw another face more fair, 
He saw her of broad lands the heir, 

And Constance loved no more — 
Loved her no more, who, once Heaven's bride, 
Now a scorn'd menial by his side, 

Had wander'd Europe o'er." 

520. Plight. Plighted. Such contraction of the participle of verbs 
ending in d and t was common in Elizabethan English. See Abbott, 
Shakes. Gr. § 342. Cf. liftiox lifted m Gen. vii. 17, Fs. xciii. 3, etc. 

523. Mortal lists. Deadly combat in the lists. For the formalities 
of a knightly contest of this kind, see Shakespeare, Richard II. i. 3, 
And the notes of our ed. 

524. Their oaths. The combatants made oath that their quarrel was 
"true and just," etc. 



CANTO III. 271 

531. Say yc, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Say ye, who preacli the lieavens decide 
When in the lists the warriors ride." 

556. Hath. The reading of the ist and other early eds. All the 
more recent eds. have " has." 

560. Shall ever lued ivith Marmion. The MS. adds, " His schemes 
reveal'd, his honor gone." 

583. I(^no}-anf. The MS. has " witless," which means the same. 

587. iVojit. Were wont, as we should have to say now, 7uonf being 
used only as the participle. For the old use, as here, cf. ^lilton, P. Z., 
i. 332 : " as when men wont to watch," etc. 

588. Stared. Cf. Shakespeare, _/. C, iv. 3. 280: "That makest my 
blood cold and my hair to stare ; " and Tempest, i. 2. 213 : " With hair 
upstaring — then like reeds, not hair." The MS. reads here : 

"^'-«^"p{:S?gh-- her head." 

601. Part in peace. See on 46S above. 

610. That conclave, etc. The MS. has, "From that dark penance- 
vault to-day." 

617. Tottering on. The ist ed. has a period after on; but this is 
evidently a misprint, though retained (as a colon) in all the more re- 
cent eds. 

618. Even, etc. The MS. reads : 

" That night amid the vesper's swell, 
They thought they heard Constantia's yell. 
And bade the mighty bell to toll, 
For welfare of a passing soul." 

Jeffrey remarks that the sound of the knell is "described with great 
force and solemnity." 

621. Partino. Departing. See on i. 20 above. 

624. Warkiuorth. See on 142 above. For the hermit, see Percv's 
ballad of The Hermit of Wark-vorth. 

626. Bamboroiigh. See on 148 above. 

629. The stag, t\.z. On this description of the stag on the Cheviot 
Hills, cf. the Lady of the Lake, i. 40 fol. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO THIRD. 

"William Erskine, Esq., advocate, Sheriff-depute of the Orknevs, 
became a Judge of the Court of Session by the title of Lord Kinneddcr, 
and died at Edinburgh in August, 1S22. He had been from earlv youth 
the most intimate of the Poet's friends, and his chief confidant and ad- 
viser as to all literary matters. See a notice of his life and character 
by the late Mr. Hay 'Donaldson, to which Sir Walter Scott contributed 
several paragraphs" (Lockhart). 



272 AZOTES. 

21. Then, wild as cloud, etc. Cf. 241, 242 below. 
2^. In sounds, etc. The 1st ed. has "In sound," etc. The MS. 
reading is : 

' ' With sound now lowly, and now higher, 
Irregular to wake the lyre." 

28. Loftier. The reading of the ist ed., misprinted "lofty" ever 
since. 

32. To poetry. The MS. has "to thriftless rhyme." 

35. Approach those masters, etc. That is, imitate the old classic poets, 
not the rude minstrels of Scotland. 

43. Or deem^st thou not, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Dost thou not deem our later day 
Yields topic meet for classic lay? 
Hast thou no elegiac tone 
To join that universal moan, 
Which mingled with the battle's yell 
Where venerable Brunswick fell ? 
What ! not a verse, a tear, a sigh, 
When valor bleeds for liberty ? " 

46. For Brunswick's venerable hearse. That is, for the hearse (see on 
i. ind. 199) of the venerable Duke of Brunswick, who commanded the 
Prussian forces at the battle of Jena, Oct. 14, 1806. 

54. Brandenburg. Here put rhetorically for Prussia, the province 
of Brandenburg being the nucleus of the Prussian monarchy. Fred- 
erick III., Elector of Brandenburg, became the first King of Prussia. 

59. That dragon. Napoleon Bonaparte. 

67. Seemed. Apparently used for beseemed. 

74. For honored life, etc. The MS. reads : 

" For honor'd life an honor'd clo>e — 
The boon which falling heroes crave, 
A soldier's death, a warrior's grave. 
Or if, with more exulting swell, 
Of conquering chiefs thou lovest to tell, 
Give to the harp an unlieard strain, 
And sing the triumphs of the main — 
Of him the Red-Cross hero teach. 
Dauntless on Acre's bloody breach. 
And, scorner of tyrannic power. 
As dauntless in the Temple's tower : 
Alike to him the sea, the shore. 
The brand, the bridle, or the oar. 
The general's eye, the pilot's art, 
The soldier's arm. the sailor's heart ; 
Or if to touch such chord be thine," etc 

75. A 7td when revolves, ttc. When, as the Clown in Ttvelfth Night 
(v. I. 385) says, " the whirligig of time brings in his revenges." 

78. Arminius. The Latin name of the ancient German hero Her- 
mann, who strove to free his country from the Roman yoke. Tacitus 
describes him as one " who dared 'to attack the Romans, not in the 
beginning but in the fulness of their power — in battle not always vic- 
torious, but unconquered in war." 

8t. The Red- Cross hero. Sir Sidney Smith, the famous English 



CANTO III. 273 

admiral. The Red-Cross is the cross of St. George, the national emblem 
of England. 

86. The shattered walls, etc. Referring to St. Jean d'Acre, where the 
Turks, supported by Smith and a handful of British sailors, kept Na- 
poleon and the French army at bay for si.xty days, when he raised the 
siege and retreated. 

91. When stubborn Ixiiss, etc. Smith, with the permission of his gov- 
ernment, became a captain in the Swedish service during the war with 
Russia. 

For mettled the early eds. have "metal'd." See on i. ind. 308 above. 

92. Warped. Frozen ; apparently suggested by Shakespeare's use of 
the word in A. Y. Z., ii. 7. 187: "Though thou [Winter] the waters 
warp ; " where the reference is probably to the curving of the surface 
of the water in freezing, though some critics take warp in a more gen- 
eral sense (= change). 

94. The father, etc. Sir Ralph Abercromby, the British general who 
commanded the expedition to Egypt in 1800-1801, and died from 
wounds received at the battle of Alexandria. Smith was wounded at 
the same time, and compelled to return to England. 

100. The 'ii'ild harp. That is, Shakespeare's. 

103. The bold Enchantress. Joanna Baillie ( 1764-1851), who has been 
called " the Sister of Shakespeare." Scott admired and patronized her, 
and she sometimes made long visits at his house. Basil and De Mont- 
fort were two of her plays. 

117. Warps. Gives a bend or bias to. 

i\g. Whether an impulse, etc. Lockhart quotes Pope, Essay on 
Man : 

'• As man, perhaps, the moment of his breath, 
Receives the lurliing principle of death ; 
The young disease, that must subdue at length, 
Grows with his growtli, and strengthens with his strength : 
So, cast and mingled witli his very frame. 
The Mind's disease its RuLiNr; Passiom came : 
Each vital humor which should feed the whole 
Soon flows to this, in body and in soul : 
Whatever warms the heart, or fills the head. 
As the mind opens, and its functions spread, 
Imagination plies her dangerous art. 
And pours it all upon the peccant part. 
Nature its mother, Habit is its nurse : 
Wit, Spirit, Faculties, but make it worse ; 
Reason itself but gives it edge and power; 
-As Heaven's blest beam turns vinegar more sour," etc. 

130. Batavia's sultry sky. Batavia, the capital of the Dutch posses- 
sions in the East Indies, was laid out on a marshy flat and intersected 
by canals, making the city thoroughly Dutch bi'it very unhcalthv for 
that tropical ^-limate. 

137. The weather dyeaten hind. The Scotch Highlander. 

149. Lochaber. The wildest mountain district in Scotland. Here is 
Ben Nevis, the highest peak (4,406 feet) of the country. Toch Garry 
is a sinail lake in the Athole Forest region, the source of the river 
Garry. Dn'oushire is one of the loveliest portions of rural England. 

18 



2 74 NOl^ES, 

158. Then rise, etc. The MS. reads : 

" The lonely hill, the rocky tower, 

That caught attention's wakening hour." 

165. Reed. Pipe. Cf. Milton, Coniiis, 345: "Or sound of pastoral 
reed with oaten stops." 

172. The lonely Infant. Scott, when three years old, was sent for his 
health to the farm oi Sandy-Knowe, the residence of his paternal grand- 
father. Smailholm Tower, a ruined baronial keep in the neighborhood, 
is the inojinlain to7ver of 158. He afterwards made it the scene of his 
ballad, The Eve of Saint John ; and it is supposed to be the original of 
Avenel Castle in The Abbot and The Monastery. It is about tw^o miles 
from Dryburgh Abbey, where the poet is buried. 

173. Wall-flower. The MS. has "woodbine." 

180. The aged hind. " Auld Sandy Ormiston," the cow-herd of the 
farm, and the favorite companion of the young Scott. Lockhart says : 
" If the child saw him in the morning, he could not be satisfied unless 
the old man would set him astride on his shoulder, and take him to 
keep him company as he lay watching his charge." 

183. Strength. Stronghold. Cf. Milton, P. L. vii. 141: "This in- 
accessible high strength," etc. 

188-191. Methonght, etc. These four lines are not in the MS. 

194. Sleights. Stratagems. The ist ed. has sleights, which has been 
corrupted to " slights " in all the more recent eds. 

197. Wight. See on ii. ind. 113 above. 

201. The scarlet ranks. The English " red-coats." 

202. While stretched, etc. The MS. reads: 

" While still with mimic hosts of shells, 
Again my sport the combat tells — 
Onward the Scottish Lion bore, 
Tlie scatter'd Southron fled before." 

211. Gray-haired sire. Robert Scott, the poet's grandfather. 
216. Whose doom. That is, his judgment, or arbitration. 
In a note to the 2d ed. Scott says : " Upon revising the poem, it seems 
proper to mention that the lines, 

' Whose doom discording neighbors sought, 
Content with equity unbought ; ' 

have been unconsciously borrow^ed from a passage in Dryden's beauti- 
ful epistle to John Driden of Chesterton." 

221. Alike, etc. The MS. has "The student, gentleman, and saint." 
The clergyman alluded to was Rev. John Martin, minister of Mertoun, 
in which parish Sandy-Knowe is situated. 
223. Timeless. Unseasonable, inopportune. 
225. A grandame's child. That is, " a spoiled child." 
228. From me. Lockhart's and other recent eds. misprint " For me." 
237. Since oft thy judg7nent, etc. Scott had a high opinion of his 
friend's critical judgment, and liked to have Erskine look over his 
manuscript before it went to press. See Lockhart's Life of Scoff, 
chap. xii. and elsewhere. Cf. also p. 271 above. 



CANTO III. 



CANTO THIRD. 



/5 



5. Thev niight jiot, etc. The MS. reads : 

" They might not choose the easier road, 
For many a forayer was abroad." 

The Mcrse, or March., is a district in the southern part of Berwickshire. 

16. Wan. An old past tense of win, used here for the rhyme. 

19. The height of Lanunermoor. That is, the point where they cross 
the Lammernwor Hills in Berwickshire. Thence they descend to the 
village of Giff'ord, about four miles from Haddington. Close by is 
Yester House, the seat of the Marquis of Tweeddale, and a little far- 
ther up the Tyne are the toioers, the remains of the old castle of the 
family. See also on 333 below. 

31. Bush. The branch (originally of ivy, which was sacred to Bac- 
chus) used in the olden time as a tavern-sign. Hence the old proverb 
(cf. Shakespeare's A. Y. L, epil.) that" good wine needs no bush," that 
is, nothing to point out where it is sold. In England's Farnassits, 1600, 
the Address to the Reader begins with " I hang no ivie out to sell my 
wine." 

■^2,. The village inn. " The accommodations of a Scottish hostelrie, 
or inn, in the i6th century, may be collected from Dunbar's admirable 
tale of The Friars of Berwick. Simon Lawder, ' the gay ostlier,' seems 
to have lived very comfortably ; and his wife decorated her person with 
a scarlet kirtle, and a belt of silk and silver, and rings upon her fingers ; 
and feasted her paramour with rabbits, capons, partydges, and Bour- 
dcaux wine. At least, if the Scottish inns were not good, it was not for 
want of encouragement from the Legislature ; who, so early as the reign 
of James I., not only enacted that in all boroughs and fairs there be 
hostellaries, having stables and chambers, and provision for man and 
horse, but by another statute, ordained that no man, travelling on horse 
or foot, should presume to lodge anywhere except in these hostellaries ; 
and that no person, save innkeepers, should receive such travellers, 
under the penalty of forty shillings, for exercising such hospitalitv. 
But in spite of these provident enactments, the Scottish hostels are but 
indifferent, and strangers continue to find reception in the houses of 
individuals " (Scott). 

3S. Bind. The ist ed. has "bend," which may be what Scott wrote. 

48. Solands store. Solands stored U]i. The soland, solan-goose, or 
gannet, abounds on the rocky shores and islands of Scotland. For store, 
cf. Lady of the Lake, i. 54S : " And broadswords, bows, and arrows 
store," etc. 

58. Oaken settle. Like that in the immense fireplaces of New Eng- 
land houses of the olden time. 

77. A lady's bo7ver. See on i. 254 above. 

78. Buxom. Lively, jolly ; with perhaps a reminiscence of its origi- 
nal sense of pliant {^cq its derivation in Wb. or the //;//. Diet.], ox 
adapting himself to circumstances. Cf. Milton, f' All.2\: "So bux- 
om, blithe, and debonair." Dryden calls Bacchus " the buxom god." 



276 .VOTES. 

88. Full met, etc. The MS. has " Full met their eyes' encountering 
glance." 

106. As. As if. See on i. 447 above. 

1 17. Constanfs strai7t. That is, Constance's in her disguise as a page. 
Cf. i. 235 and ii. 384, 504 above. 

120. Saint Valentine. On whose day the birds were said to choose 
their mates. 

130. A mellow voice, etc. The ist ed. reads: "A deep and mellow 
voice he had." 

143. Sicsqtiehanna's. All the early eds. spell it " Susquehana's." 

148. Where shall the loz'er rest, etc. The metre of the song is dac- 
tylic, with the accents on the ist and 4th syllables of each line. Cf. 
Lady of the Lake, \>. 204, note on 399. 

170. In the lost battle, etc. Note the recurrence of this in vi. 972 be- 
low. In like manner, 179-1S2 are to be connected with the story of 
Marmion's burial in a nameless grave, while a peasant occupied his 
lordly tomb at Lichfield. See vi. 108S fol. 

188. Plained. Complained, wailed. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. iii. 5. 44: 
" And of his lucklesse lott and cruell love thus playnd," etc. 

207. Ciz/il conflict in the heart. Cf. the description of an inward con- 
flict of feeling in Shakespeare's y. C. ii. i. 67 : 

" The state of man, 
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then 
The nature of an insurrection." 

211. Seemed in my ear, etc. It seemed that in my ear, etc. 

"Among othe^- omens to which faithful credit is given among the 
Scottish peasantry, is what is called the ' dead-bell,' explained by my 
friend James Hogg to be that tinkling in the ear which the country 
people regard as'^the secret intelligence of some friend's decease. He 
tells a story to the purpose in the Mountain Bard'''' (Scott). Lockhart 
quotes the passage : 

" ' O lady, 't is dark, an' I heard the dead-bell ! 
An' I darena gae yonder for gowd nor fee.' 

By the dead-bell is meant a tinkling in the ears, which our peasantry 
in the country regard as a secret intelligence of some friend's decease. 
Thus this natural occurrence strikes many with a superstitious awe. 
This reminds me of a trifling anecdote, which I will here relate as an 
instance : our two servant-girls agreed to go an errand of their own, 
one night after supper, to a considerable distance, from which I strove 
to persuade them, but could not prevail. So, after going to the apart- 
ment where I slept, I took a drinking-glass, and, coming close to the 
back of the door, made two or three sweeps round the lips of the glass 
with my finger, which caused a loud shrill sound. I then overheard 
the following dialogue: B. * Ah, mercy! the dead-bell went through 
my head just now with such a knell as I never heard.' — /. ' I heard it 
too.' — B. 'Did you indeed.'' That is remarkable. I never knew of 
two hearing it at the same time before.' — /. ' We will not go to Midge- 
hop to-night.' — i?. ' I would not go for all the world. I shall warrant it 



CANTO III. 277 

is my poor brother Wat ; who knows what these wild Irishes may have 
done to him ? ' " 

220. Marmion, whose soul, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Marmion, whose pride ) ,, „ _ , . 

Whose haughty soul } ^°"'^ "^^^"^ ^'^°°^' 
Even from his King, a scornful look.*' 

228. Strook. An old past tense of strike, used here for the rhyme ; 
as in Lady of the Lake, iii. 212 : " Their clattering targets wildly strook." 
See our ed. p. 218. 

234. Vail. Lower, cast down ; not '" veil," as misprinted in Lock- 
hart's and all other recent cds. Cf. vi. 608 below. See also Hamlet, 
i. 2. 70: 

" Do not for ever with thy vailed lids 
Seek for thy noble father in the dust ; " 

and Measure for Measure, v. i. 20: 

" Justice, O royal duke ! Vail your regard 
Upon a wrong'd, I would fain have said, a maid ! " 

Editors and printers continually confound this obsolete vail with veil, 
especially when used with reference to the eyes. 

240. IDesperate. The MS. has "furious ; " and " Incensed " for A)id 
wroth in 242 below. 

243. Practised OH. Plotted against. Cf. Lear, iii. 2. 57 : " Hast prac- 
tised on man's life," etc. 

276. Alas ! etc. The MS. reads : 

" Since fiercer passions wild and high, 
Have flush'd her cheek with deeper dye. 
And years of guilt, and of disguise, 
Have steel'd her brow, and arm'd her eyes, 
And I the cause — for whom were given 
Her peace on earth, her hopes in heaven ! — 
How will her ardent spirit swell 
And chafe witiiin the narrow cell I " 

307. Loch Vennachar. The most eastern of the three lakes around 
which the scenery of The Lady of the Lake lies. 

311. Scotland's simple laud. The MS. has "this plain simple land." 

315. Or star. Or by astrology. 

324. Clerk. Scholar, as in 367 and 4S8 below. Cf. Shakespeare, 
2 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 76: " Large gifts have I bestow'd on learned clerks," etc. 

331. Of p07oer. That is, of magic power. 

333. The Goblin-Hall. " A vaulted hall under the ancient castle of 
Gifford, or Yester (for it bears either name indifferently), the construc- 
tion of which has, from a very remote period, been ascribed to magic. 
The Statistical Account of the Parish of Ganutld and Baro gives the fol- 
lowing account of the present state of this castle and apartment : ' Upon 
a peninsula, formed by the water of Hopes on the east, and a large 
rivulet on the west, stands the ancient castle of Yester. Sir David 
Dalrymple, in his Annals, relates, that " Hugh Gifford de Yester died in 
1267 ; that in his castle there was a capacious cavern formed by magi- 



278 NOTES. 

cal art, and called in the country Bo-Hall, that is. Hobgoblin Hall." 
A stair of twenty-four steps led down to this apartment, which is a large 
and spacious hall, with an arched roof ; and though it hath stood for 
so many centuries, and been exposed to the external air for a period of 
fifty or sixty years, it is still as firm and entire as if it had only stood 
a few years. From the floor of this hall, another stair of thirty-six steps 
leads down to a pit which hath a communication with Hopes-water. A 
great part of the walls of this large and ancient castle are still standing. 
There is a tradition that the castle of Yester was the last fortification 
in this country that surrendered to General Gray, sent into Scotland by 
Protector Somerset.' I have only to add, that, in 1737, the Goblin Hall 
was tenanted by the Marquis of Tweeddale's falconer, as I learn from a 
poem by Boyse, entitled ' Retirement,' written upon visiting Yester. It 
is now rendered inaccessible by the fall of the stair. 

" Sir David Dalrymple's authority for the anecdote is Fordun, whose 
words are, 'A. D. MCCLXVir, Hugo Giffard de Yester moriiiir ; aijiis cas- 
truin. vel saltern caveani, et dongionem, arte dcBmonica aiiticjtuv relationes 
ferunt fair if actus : nam ibidem habettir mi^'abilis specus subtej'raneiis , opere 
mirifico coistructtts, magna terrarum spatio protelati/s, qui communiter 
Bo^^all appellatits est.' Sir David conjectures that Hugh de Gifford 
must have been either a very wise man, or a great oppressor " (Scott). 

335. Gave you. Allowed you time. 

353. Firth. The reading of all the early eds. The recent ones have 
" trith." 

354. Haco\'; baniier, etc. " In 1263, Haco, King of Norway, came into 
the Firth of Clyde with a powerful armament, and made a descent at 
Largs, in Ayrshire. Here he was encountered and defeated, on the 2d 
October, by Alexander III. Haco retreated to Orkney, where he died 
soon after this disgrace to his arms. There are still existing, near the 
place of battle, many barrows, some of w^hich, having been opened, were 
found, as usual, to contain bones and urns" (Scott). 

The MS. reads here : 

" There floated Haco's banner grim, 
O'er fierce of heart and large of limb." 

355. Norzveyan. Norwegian ; as in Macbeth, i. 2. 49 : " Where the 
Norweyan banners flout the sky," etc. 

362. Wizard habit strange. Scott quotes Reginald Scot's Discoverie 
of Witchcraft, ed. 1665 : " Magicians, as is w^ell known, were very curi- 
ous in the choice and form of their vestments. Their caps are oval, or 
like pyramids, with lappets on each side, and fur within. Their gowns 
are long, and furred with fox-skins, under which they have a linen gar- 
ment reaching to the knee. Their girdles are three inches broad, and 
have many cabalistical names, with crosses, trines, and circles inscribed 
on them. Their shoes should be of new russet leather, with a cross 
cut upon them. Their knives are dagger-fashion ; and their swords 
have neither guard nor scabbard." 

369. A pcntacle. Scott again cites Reginald Scot : " A pentacle is a 
piece of fine linen, folded with five corners, according to the five senses, 
and suitably inscribed with characters. This the magician extends 



CANTO HI. 279 

towards the spirits which he invokes, when they are stubborn and re- 
bellious, and refuse to be conformable unto the ceremonies and rites 
of magic." 

372. Bore many, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Bare many a character and sign, 
Of planets retrograde and trine." 

Combust (now obsolete), retros;rade, and trine were astrological terms 
applied to the position and motion of the planets. Relrotrrade is still 
used by astronomers, as of old, to indicate motion backward in the 
zodiac, or from east to west. 

382. Grisly. See on ii. 438 above. 

3S3. In this nmvontcd, etc. Recent eds. have " his " for tJiis. 

395. Racking. Flying, as when breaking up. Cf. Ben Jonson, Under- 
luoods, vi. 44S : "The clouds rack clear before the sun," etc. For the 
noun, see iv. ind. 42 below. 

407. Born upon that blessed night, etc. " It is a popular article of faith, 
that those who are born on Christmas or Good- Friday have the power 
of seeing spirits, and even of cominanding them. The Spaniards im- 
puted the haggard and downcast looks of their Philip II. to the disa- 
greeable visions to which this privilege subjected him" (Scott). 

410. IVith untaught, etc. The MS. reads : 

" With untauglit valor mayst compel 
What is denied to magic spell." 

412. Gramercy. See on i. 421 above. 

416. Soothly. Truly. See on sooth, i. 255 above. Tide zohat tide = 
betide, or happen, what may. 

417. The demon, etc. The MS. has " Bicker and buffet he shall 
bide." Buffet bide = have to bear a blow. 

422. The rampart, etc. The MS. reads : 

<■• c^^i, S tli^t \ ,, i camp which I „ 

^^^^ i yon J °'d i trench that ! ^^ ^ "°'""'- 

428. Couch then thy lance. See on i. 222 above. 

429. Sai)it George to speed ! May Saint George be your guardian or 
protector! Cf. Shakespeare, A. Y. L. i. 2. 222: "Hercules be thy 
speed!" 

435. Alone, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Alone and arm'd rode fortli the king 
To that encampment's h.nimted round." 

447. For full career. That is, for two knights to charge each other. 
Cf. 464 below. 

450. The southernmost. The MS. has " The southern gate." 

461. Edward. "Edward I., surnamcd Longshanks " (Scott). 

472. Largs. On the Firth of Clyde, the scene of the battle in 1263 be- 
tween Alexander and Haco, in which the latter was defeated with great 
slaughter. 

4S2. Foresho7uing, etc. The MS. has " To be fulfill'd in times afar ; " 
and for 4S4-487 the following : 



28o NOTES. 

" A royal city's towers and spires 
Redden'd the midnight sky with fires, 
And shouting crews her navy bore, 
Triumphant, from the vanquish'd shore." 

The allusion here is to the expedition to Copenhagen in 1801, in which 
Nelson won such laurels. See on i. ind. 82, 161 above. 

488, Learned elerks. See on 324 above. 

489. Pass the wit. Are beyond the comjDrehension. 

498. Diuifermline'' s nave. The nave of l)unferinline cathedral. 

501. Yet still, etc. Scott says here : "The following extract from the 
Essay upon the Fairy Su])erstitions, in llie Minstrelsy of the Scottish 
Border, vol. ii., will show whence many of the particulars of the com- 
bat between Alexander III. and the Goblin Knight are derived : 

" ' Gervase of Tilbury [Otia Imperial, ap. Script : rer. Brunsz'ic, vol. i. 
p. 797) relates the following jiopular story concerning a fairy knight : 
" Osbert, a bold and powerful baron, visited a noble family in the vicin- 
ity of "Wandlebury, in the bishojjric of Ely. Among other stories re- 
lated in.the social' circle of his friends, who, according to custom, amused 
each other by repeating ancient tales and traditions, he was informed 
that if any knight, unattended, entered an adjacent plain by moonlight, 
and challenged an adversary to appear, he would be immediately en- 
countered by a spirit in the form of a knight. Osbert resolved to make 
the experiment, and set out, attended by a single squire, whom he or- 
dered to remain without the limits of the plain, which was surrounded 
by an ancient entrenchment. On repeating the challenge he was in- 
stantly assailed by an adversary, whom he quickly unhorsed, and seized 
the reins of his steed. During this operation his ghostly opponent 
sprung up, and, darting his spear, like a javelin, at Osbert, wounded him 
in the thigh. Osbert returned in triumph with the horse, which he com- 
mitted to the care of his servants. The horse was of a sable color, as 
well as his whole accoutrements, and apparently of great beauty and 
vigor. He remained with his keeper till cockcrowing, when, with eyes 
flashing fire, he reared, spurned the ground, and vanished. On disarm- 
ing himself, Osbert ])erceived that he was wounded, and that one of his 
steel-boots was full of blood." Gervase adds, that, as long as he lived, 
the scar of his wound opened afresh on the anniversary of the eve on 
which he encountered the spirit. — Less fortunate was the gallant Bo- 
hemian knight, who, travelling by night, with a single companion, " came 
in sight of a Fairy host, arrayed under displayed banners. Despising 
the remonstrances of his friend, the knight pricked forward to break a 
lance with a champion who advanced from the ranks, apparently in de- 
fiance. His companion beheld the Bohemian overthrown, horse and 
man, by his aerial adversary ; and returning to the spot next morning, 
he found the mangled corpses of the knight and steed " [Hier rchie of 
Blessed Angels, p. 554).' 

" Besides the instances of Elfin Chivalry, above quoted, many others 
might be alleged in support of employing Fairy machinery in this man- 
ner. The forest of Glenmore, in the North Highlands, is believed to 
be haunted by a spirit called Lham-dearg, in the array of an ancient 
warrior, having a bloody hand, from which he takes his name. He 



CAN7V III. 281 

insists upon those with whom he meets doing battle with him ; and tlie 
clergyman, who makes up an account of the district, extant in the Mac- 
farlane MS. in the Advocates' Library, gravely assures us, that in his 
time Lham-dearg fought with three brothers whom he met in his walk, 
none of whom long survived the ghostly conflict, liarclay, in his Eu- 
phonnion, gives a singular account of an officer who had ventured, with 
his servant, rather to intrude upon a haunted house, in a town in Flan- 
ders, than to put up with worse quarters elsewhere. After taking the usual 
precautions of providing lires, lights, and arms, they watchecl till mid- 
night, when, behold ! the severed arm of a man dropped from the ceiling ; 
this was followed by the legs, the other arm, the trunk, and the head of 
the body, all separately. The members rolled together, united themselves 
in the presence of the astonished soldiers, and formed a gigantic war- 
rior, which defied them both to combat. Their blows, although they 
penetrated the body and amputated the limbs of their strange antago- 
nist, had, as the reader may easily believe, little effect on an enemy who 
possessed such i)owers of self-union ; nor did his efforts make more 
effectual impression upon them. How the combat terminated I do not 
exactly remember, and have not the book by nie ; but I think the spirit 
made to the intruders on his mansion the usual proposal, that they 
should renounce their redemption, which being declined, he was obliged 
to retreat. 

" The most singular tale of the kind is contained in an extract com- 
municated to me by my friend, Mr. Surtees of Mainsforth, in the bishop- 
ric, who copied it from a MS. note in a copy of Burthogge On ihe nature 
of Spirits, 8vo, 1694, which had been the i)roperty of the late Mr. Gill, 
attorney-general to Egerton, Bishop of Durham. ' It was not,' says my 
obliging correspondent, ' in Mr. Gill's own hand, but probably an hun- 
dred years older, and was said to be E libra Convent. Dtinclm per T. C. 
extract., whom I believe to have been Thomas Cradocke, Esq., barrister, 
who held several offices under the see of Durham an hundred years ago. 
Mr. Gill was possessed of most of his manuscripts.' The extract, which 
in fact suggested the introduction of the tale into the present poem, 
runs thus : 

" ' Rem miram hujusmodi quae nostris temporibus evenit, teste viro 
nobili ac fide dignissinio, cnarrare hand pigebit. Radulphus Buhner, 
cum e castris qux tunc temporis prope Norham posita erant, oblecta- 
tionis causa exiisset, ac in ulteriore Tued^e ripa pfcedam cum canibus 
leporariis insequeretur, forte cum Scoto quodam nobili, sibi antehac ut 
videbatur familiariter cognito, congre.ssus est ; ac ut fas erat inter in- 
imicos, flagrante bello, brevissima interrogationis mora interposita alter- 
utros invicem incitato cursu infestis animis petiere. Noster, primo 
occursu, equo pras acerrimo hostis impctu labante, in terram eversus 
pectore et capite laeso, sanguinem, mortuo similis, evomebat. Quem 
ut se Kgre habentem comiter allocutus est alter, pollicitusque modo 
auxilium non abnegaret, monitisque obtemperans ab omni rerum sacra- 
rum cogitatione abstineret, nee Deo, Deiparae Virgini, .Sanctove ullo, 
preces aut vota efferret vel inter sese conciperet, se brevi eum sanum 
validumque restiturum esse. Pras angore oblata conditio accepta est ; 
ac veterator ille nescio quid obscaeni murmuris insusurrans, prehensa 



282 AOTES. 

maiiLi, dicto citius in pedes sanum ut antea sublevavit. Noster autem, 
maxima prs rei inaudita novitate formidine perculsus, Ml Jesu ! excla- 
mat, vel quid simile ; ac subite respiciens nee hostem nee ullum alium 
conspicit, equum solum gravissimo nuper casu aflictum, per summam 
pacem in rivo fluvii pascentem. Ad castra itaque mirabundus revertens, 
fidei dubius, rem primo occultavit, dein confecto bello, Confessori suo 
totam asseruit. Delusoria procul dubio res tota, ac mala veteratoris 
illius aperitur fraus, qua hominem Christianum ad vetitum tale auxilium 
pelliceret. Nomen atcunque illius (nobilis alias ac clari) reticendum 
duco, cum baud dubmm sit quin Diabolus, Deo permittente, formam 
quam libuerit, immo angeli lucis, sacro oculo Dei teste, posse assumere.' 
The MS. chronicle from which Mr. Cradocke took this curious extract 
cannot now be found in the chapter library of Durham, or, at least, has 
hitherto escaped the researches of my friendly correspondent. 

" Lindesay is made to allude to this adventure of Ralph Buhner, as 
a well-known story, in the 4th Canto, stanza xxii. 

" The Northern champions of old were accustomed peculiarly to 
search for and delight in encounters with such military spectres. See 
a whole chapter on the subject in Bartholinus De Caiisis contempta 
Mortis a Danis, p. 253." 

506. Have foully sped. Have had bad luck. For j/>£'i'«' = fare, have 
fortune (good or bad), cf. Shakespeare, T. of S. ii. i. 283: " how speed 
you with my daughter } " 

508. Wallace wight. See on ii. ind. 113 above. 

509. Gentles. Gentlemen, gentlefolk ; especially used in addressing 
an audience. Cf. Henry V., prol. 8: "But pardon, gentles all," etc. 

510. Quaighs. " A wooden cup composed of staves hooped together " 
(Scott). 

519. Deep shijiiberiiig, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Deep slumbering on the floor of clay, 
Oppress'd with toil and ale, they lay ; 
The dying flame, in fitful change, 
Threw on them lights and shadows strange." 

536. His master, etc. The MS. has " // spoke — Lord Marmion's 
voice he knew ; " and in 543 below " Come down " for Arise. 

551. Darkling. In the dark ; a poetical word. Cf. Lady of the Lake, 
iv. 283 : "For darkling was the battle tried," etc. 

558. Chaplains. The ist ed. misprints "chaplain's." 

560. I would, etc. The MS. reads: 

" I would, to prove the omen right. 
That I could meet this Elfin Knight ! " 

566. To dashing, etc. The MS. has " Dance to the wild waves' mur- 
muring." 

592. Pricked. See on i. 304 above. 

597. Yode. " Used by old poets for went'" (Scott). Cf. Spenser, F. Q. 
ii. 7. 2 : " So, long he yode, yet no adventure found," etc. 

599. Selle. Saddle (French), common in Spenser. See F. Q. ii. 3. I2 : 
" That rode in golden sell with single spere," etc. 



CANTO IV. 283 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FOURTH. 

James Skenp:, Esq., of Rubislaw, Aberdeenshire, was Cornet in the 
Royal Edinburgh Light Horse Volunteers ; and Scott was Quarter- 
master of the same corps. 

2. Where is the life, etc. From an old ballad, quoted by Shakespeare 
in T. of S. iv. i. 143 and 2 Hen. IV. v. 3. 146. 

3. That motley cloivn, etc. See Shakespeare's A. Y. L. ii. 7. 12 fol. 
10. First drew, etc. The MS. has " Unsheath'd the voluntary brand." 
29. A task, etc. See Lockhart's life of Scott, chap. v. 

37. BlackhoHse. A farm on the Douglas-burn, where Scott's friend, 
William Laidlaw, resided. See Lockhart's life, chaps, iii. and iv. In 
the latter a letter of Skene's is cpioted in which he tells of a visit he 
made to Blackhouse with Scott. 

39. Mountain dark. The MS. has "noontide mist." 

42. Rack. Floating cloud. Cf. Hatnlet, ii. 2. 506: 

" But as we often see, against some storm, 
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still," etc. 

See also on iii. 395 above. 

45. As thou loith pencil. " Various illustrations of the poetry and 
novels of Scott, from designs by Mr. Skene, have since been published " 
(LockJiart). 

51. Idly busied. An example of what the rhetoricians call oxymoron ; 
like Horace's "strenua inertia" (laborious idleness). 

55. When red, etc. The MS. has : 

" When red hath set the evening sun, 
And loud winds speak the storm begun." 

67. Till, dark, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Till thickly drives the flaky snow. 
And forth the hardy swain must go, 
While, with dejected look and whine," etc. 

73. Plaid. The rhyme is not imperfect, the Scottish pronunciation 
of the word being like that oi played. Cf. Lady of the Lake, p. 188, note 
on 363. 

78. The blast, etc. The MS. has " The frozen blast that sweeps the 
fells ; " and in 81 fol. below : 

" His cottage window beams a star, — 
But soon he loses it, — and then 
Turns patient to his task again." 

91. The morn, etc. The MS. reads : 

" The morn shall find the stiffen'd swain: 
His widow sees, at morning pale, 
Hi^children rise, and raise their wail." 

" I cannot help here mentioning, that, on the night in which these 
lines were written, suggested, as they were, by a sudden fall of snow, 



284 NOTES. 

beginning after sunset, an unfortunate man perished exactly in the man- 
ner here described, and his body was next morning found close to his 
own house. The accident happened within five miles of the farm of 
Ashestiel" (Scott). 

92. His widow. Lockhart's and all other recent eds. have " The 
widow." 

96. His mastej-'s breast. The MS. has " his frozen breast." 

loi. KiriCs. "The Scottish Harvest-home" (Scott). 

102. His native hill-notes, etc. The MS. reads : 

" His native wild notes' melody 
To Marion's blithely blinking eye." 

104. His oaten reed. See on iii. ind. 165 above. 

105. And all Arcadia^ s golden creed. That is, everything associated 
with the poetical view of pastoral life, of which the Greek Arcadia has 
always been the type. 

108. Our youthful summer, ^tz. The MS. reads : 

" Our youthful summer oft we see 
Dance by on wings of mirth and glee, 
While the dark storm reserves its rage. 
To crush the winter of our age." 

115. Called ancient Priam forth. The MS. has "Call'd forth his 
feeble age ; " and in 126 below, " Scarce on thy bride," etc. 

124. By. Gone by, past ; as in v. 552 below. Cf. Lady of the Lake, 
V. 547 : " but that is bv," etc. 

130. Nor did, etc. The MS. reads : 

" But even the actions next his end 

Spoke the fond sire and faithful friend." 

132. Forbes. A dissyllable, not a monosyllable as in the New Eng- 
land name. Scott has the following note here: "Sir William Forbes 
of Pitsligo, Baronet ; unequalled, perhaps, in the degree of individual 
affection entertained for him by his friends, as well as in the general 
respect and esteem of Scotland at large. His Life of Beattie, whom he 
befriended and patronized in life, as well as celebrated after his decease, 
was not long published, before the benevolent and affectionate biogra- 
pher was called to follow the subject of his narrative. This melancholy 
event very shortly succeeded the marriage of the friend, to whom this 
introduction is addressed, with one of Sir William's daughters." 

142. Frequent. See on i. ind. 8 above. 

145. Attributed. Accented on the first syllable. 

152. Grateful. The MS. has " nearer." 

163. From grave to gay. Cf. Pope, Epist. iv. : " From grave to gay, 
from lively to severe." 

167. Sports. The MS. has " thoughts." 

168. To portray. That is, " with pencil." Cf. 45 above. 

171. Antique. Accented on the first syllable, as regularly in Eliza- 
bethan poetry. Cf. Shakespeare, A. V. L. ii. i. 31 : "Under an oak, 
whose antique root peeps out," etc. 

172. The lege7id, etc. The romance of Tirante el Blanco, ox Tirante 
the White ^ wis written in the Catalonian dialect by Johann Martorell, 



CANTO IV. 285 

a knight of Valencia, and was first printed in 1480. It was afterwards 
translated into the Castilian language, and also into Italian and French. 
It is alluded to in Don Quixote, and an abstract of it may be found in 
Dunlop's Hist, of Fiction, chap. v. 

173. Squire. That is, dog. Lockhart says: "Camp was a favorite 
dog of the poet's ; a bull-terrier of extraordinary sagacity. He is in- 
troduced in Raeburn's portrait of Sir Walter Scott, now at Dalkeith 
Palace." 

176. And sca7'cey Qic. The MS. has "Till oft our voice suppress'd 
the feud." 

177. Laverock. The Old English name of the lark, often used in 
poetry. 

179. May-flower. The blossom of the white hawthorn ; the may of 
Tennyson's Millers Daughter, 130: "white with may." 

181. Ariel. The " tricksy spirit " of Shakespeare's Tempest. Cf. that 
play, V.I. 93: 

*' Merrily, merrily shall I live now 
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough." 

185. Careless. The MS. has " When light," etc. 

I9t. Then he, etc. "Colin Mackenzie, Esq. of Portmore " (Lock- 
hart).- He was one of the Principal Clerks of Session at Edinburgh, 
and an intimate friend of Scott's. He wrote the ballad of Ellandonan 
Castle in the Border Minstrelsy. 

194. Rae. Printed " R " in all the eds., but the name may as 

well be given in full. Lockhart says: "Sir William Rae of St. Cather- 
ine's, Bart., subsequently Lord Advocate of Scotland, was a distin- 
guished member of the volunteer corps to which Sir Walter Scott 
belonged; and he, the Poet, Mr. Skene, Mr. Mackenzie, and a few other 
friends, had formed themselves into a little semi-military club, the meet- 
ings of which were held at their family supper tables in rotation." 

195. And one, etc. "The late Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo, Bart., 
son of the author of the Life of Beattie, and another member of this 
volunteer corps and club " (Lockhart). 

196. Mimosa's tender tree. The sensitive plant [Mimosa pudica). 
202. Buxom. Merry. See on iii. 78 above. 

206. Mad Tom. The disguised Edgar in Shakespeare's Lear. See 
iii. 4. 142 : "who hath had . . . horse to ride, and wcaj^on to wear " 
20S. Such nights, etc. The MS. reads : 

" .Such nights we 've had ; and though our game 
Advance of years may something tame." 



CANTO FOURTH. 

13. Becket. The Saint Thomas of i. 409 above. The MS. has *' swear " 
for fear. 

22. Brris. The horse was named for the Bci'is bold of i. ind. 314 
above- 



286 NOTES. 

26. The charger., etc. The MS. has " The good horse panting on the 
straw." 

31. Laiitern-led by Friar Kttsh. That is, the Will-o'-the-Wisp or 
Jack-o'-lantern, which popular superstition associated with the pranks 
of mischievous elves. Cf. Milton, V Allegro, 104: "And he, by Friar's 
lantern led ; " and Shakespeare's M. N'. D. ii. i. 39, where Puck is said 
to " Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm," etc. 

The name of Friar Rush was due to an old story that the elf once 
got admittance into a monastery as a scullion, and played the monks 
many tricks. Scott says : " The History of Friar Rush is of extreme 
rarity, and, for some time, even the existence of such a book was 
doubted, although it is expressly alluded to by Reginald Scot in his 
Discovery of Witchcraft. I have perused a copy in the valuable library 
of my friend Mr. Heber ; and I observe, from Mr. Beloe's Anecdotes of 
Literature, that there is one in the excellent collection of the Marquis 
of Stafford." 

53. With English cross, ^\.z. The MS. has "With bloody cross and 
fiery brand ; " and in 67, "They journey'd till the middle day." 

56. Trozv. Believe. Cf. i. 302 above. 

59. Gramercy. See on i. 421 above. 

65. On. Hardly a satisfactory rhyme here. 

69. Humbie and Saltoun (or Salton) are parishes in this part of Scot- 
land. 

86. His lore. That is, his knowledge of the old legends and romances. 

88. A huge romantic tome. The MS. has " a black and ponderous 
tome." 

91. Caxton or de Worde. William Caxton introduced printing into 
England in the latter part of the 15th century. Wynken de Worde was 
associated with him in the work, and printed many books after Cax- 
ton's death. 

99. Point of war. Signal of war. Point was a technical term for a 
signal given by a trumpet. Cf. Shakespeare, 2 Henry /F. iv. i. 52 : " To 
a loud trumpet and a point of war." 

115. Scutcheon. The MS. has "lion ; " also "scarlet" for painted in 
118, and " blazoned " for armorial in 121. 

116. Pnrstiivants. See on i. 151 above. 

119. Gules, argejit, or, and azicre. The heraldic terms for red, silver, 
gold, and blue. For gules, cf. Hamlet, ii. 2. 479 : " Now is he total 
gules " (that is, all stained with blood) ; and Keats, St. Agnes'* Eve, xxv. : 

" Full on this casement shone the wintry moon. 
And threw warm gules on Madeline's fair breast." 

120. King-at-arms. An otiicerof great antiquity, having general juris- 
diction of the heralds. There are three kings-at-arms in England, 
namely, Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy; besides a Lion-king-at-arms 
for Scotland, and an Ulster-king-at-arms for Ireland. Cf. 154 below. 

131. On. The MS. has "from :" and in the next line, " Lash'd the 
coarse vices," etc. For the allusion, see on 153 below. 

133. The keys of Rome. The papal power, of which St. Peter's keys 
are the symbol. 



CANTO IV. 287 

135. Ci7/> of maintenance. The cap worn by the king-at-arms, like 
that borne before sovereigns at their coronation, etc. It was of scarlet 
velvet, turned up with ermine. 

141. The double trcssurc, etc. A tressiire is a kind of border in her- 
aldry, " usually borne double.^' The arms of Scotland are described as 
" Or, a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure, within a double 
tressure flory counterflory oi Jleur-de-lis of the second," the " supporters " 
being " two"^ unicorns argent maned and unguled or, gorged with open 
crowns," and so on. The " crest " is " a lion sejant affronte gules 
crowned or," etc. It is stated by the authorities that " the lion is first 
seen on the seal of Alexander II., and the tressure on that of Alexan- 
der III." Scott tells us, however, that Boethius and Buchanan repre- 
sent the latter to have been " first assumed by Achaius, King of Scotland, 
contemporary of Charlemagne, and founder of the celebrated League 
with France; but later antiquaries make poor Eochy or Achy little bet- 
ter than a sort of King of Brentford, whom old Grig (who has also 
swelled into Gregorius Magnus) associated with himself in the impor- 
tant dutv of governing some part of the northeastern coast of Scotland." 

144. Gallant. The MS. has " silver." Lines 137-144 are interpolated 
in the blank page of the MS. 

149. Beseemed. Became, suited. Cf. vi. 10S4 below. 

153. Sir DaT'id Lindcsay, etc. Scott, after referring to the edition of 
Sir David's works that had been brought out by Chalmers not long be- 
fore, adds : " Sir David Lindesay was well known for his early efforts 
in favor of the reformed doctrines ; and, indeed, his play, coarse as it 
now seems, must have had a powerful effect upon the people of his age. 
I am uncertain if I abuse poetical license, by introducing Sir David 
Lindesay in the character of Lion-Herald, sixteen years before he ob- 
tained that office. At any rate, I am not the first who has been guilty 
of the anachronisni ; for the author of Floddcn Field despatches 
Dallatnount, which can mean nobody but Sir David de la Mont, to 
France, on the message of defiance from James IV. to Henry VIII. It 
was often an office imposed on the Lion King-at-arms, to receive for- 
eign embassadors; and Lindesay himself did this honor to Sir Ralph 
Sadler in 1 539-1 540. Indeed, the oath of the Lion, in its first article, 
bears reference to his frequent employment upon royal messages and 
embassies. 

" The office of heralds, in feudal times, being held of the utmost impor- 
tance, the inauguration of the Kings-at-arms, who presided over their 
colleges, was proportionally solemn. In fact, it was the mimicry of a 
royal coronation, except that the unction was made with wine instead 
of oil. In Scotland, a namesake and kinsman of Sir David Lindesay, 
inaugurated in 1592, 'was crowned by King James with the ancient 
crown of Scotland, which was used betore the Scottish kings assumed 
a close crown;' and, on occasion of the same solemnity, dined at the 
king's table, wearing the crown. It is probable that the coronation of 
his predecessor was not less solemn. So sacred was the herald's office, 
that, in 151 5, Lord Drummond was by Parliament declared guilty of 
treason, and his lands forfeited, because he had struck with his fist the 
Lion King-at-arms when he reproved him for his follies. Nor was he 
restored, but at the Lion's earnest solicitation." 



288 NOTE^ 



163. Given. The ist ed. has "gave." 
166. The Lion thus, etc. The MS. reads 



The Lion-King his message said : — 

' My Liege hath deep and deadly swore,' " etc. 



For sioore, see on i. 360 above. 

171. For. Because. Cf. vi. 58 below. 

187. Enow. See on i. 303 above. 

189. Marchmouut. Cf. 117 above. 

191. Decline. Descend; evidently used for the rhyme. 

194. Crichtonn Castle. " A large ruinous castle on the banks of the 
Tyne, about seven miles from Edinburgh. As indicated in the text, it 
was built at different times and with a very differing regard to splendor 
and accommodation. The oldest part of the building is a narrow keep, 
or tower, such as formed the mansion of a lesser Scottish baron ; but 
so many additions have been made to it that there is now a large court- 
yard, surrounded by buildings of different ages. The eastern front of 
the court is raised above a portico, and decorated with entablatures 
bearing anchors. All the stones of this front are cut into diamond 
facets, the angular projections of which have an uncommonly rich ap- 
pearance. The inside of this part of the building appears to have con- 
tained a gallery of great length and uncommon elegance. Access was 
given to it by a magnificent staircase, now quite destroyed. The soffits 
are ornamented with twining cordage and rosettes ; and the whole seems 
to have been far more splendid than was usual in Scottish castles. The 
castle belonged originally to the Chancellor vSir William Crichton, and 
])robably owed to him its first enlargement, as well as its being taken 
by the Earl of Douglas, who imputed to Crichton's counsels the death 
of his predecessor Earl William, beheaded in Edinburgh Castle, with 
his brother, in 1440. It is said to have been totally demolished on that 
occasion ; but the present state of the ruins shows the contrary. In 
14S3 it was garrisoned by Lord Crichton, then its proprietor, against 
King James "ill. whose displeasure he had incurred by seducing his 
sister Margaret, in revenge, it is said, for the monarch having dishon- 
ored his be"d. From the Crichton family the castle passed to that of the 
Hepburns, Earl Bothwell ; and when the forfeitures of Stewart, the last 
Earl Bothwell, were divided, the barony and castle of Crichton fell to 
the share of the Earl of Buccleuch. They were afterwards the property 
of the Pringles of Clifton, and are now that of Sir John Callander, Baro- 
net. It were to be wished the proprietor would take a little pains to 
preserve these splendid remains of antiquity, which are at present used 
as a fold for sheep, and wintering cattle ; although, perhaps, there are 
very few ruins in Scotland which'display so well the style and beauty 
of ancient castle-architecture. The castle of Crichton has a dungeon 
vault, called the Massy More. The epithet, which is not uncommonly 
applied to the prisons of other old castles in Scotland, is of Saracenic 
origin. It occurs twice in the Epistolce Itineraries of Tollius : * Career 
snbterranejis, sive, nt Manri appellant, Mazmorra ' (p. 147) ; and again, 
* Cognntnr omnes Captivi sub noctein in ergastula sttbterranea, qucp. Tzirece 
Algezerani vocanl Mazmorras ' (p. 243). The same word applies to the 
dungeons of the ancient Moorish castles in Spain, and serves to show 



CANTO I]'. 289 

from what nation the Gothic style of castle-building was originally 
derived." 

202. You hear, etc. The MS. has " Her la/v streams repine; " and 
in 206, " But the huge mass could well opi^ose." 

211. Tottered. Torn, ragged ; as in Richard 11. iii. 3. 52 : "from the 
castle's totter'd battlements ; " where the folio of 1623 has " tatter'd," 
of which the word is simply another spelling. In A'hig John, v. 5. 7, 
the folio has " our tott'ring colours ; " and in i Henry IV. iv. 2. 37, " a 
hundred and fiftie totter'd Prodigalls." 

214. Of j/ioitldering shields, etc. The MS. has "Of many a moulder- 
ing shield the sense." 

215. Of pretence. In heraldry an escutcheon of pretence is " the shield 
on which a man carries the coat of his wife, if she is an heiress and he 
has issue by her." 

231. Whilom. A while ago, formerly ; as in v. ind. 75 below. 

248. Earl Adam Hepburn. Scott says : " He was the second Earl of 
Dothwell, and fell in the field of Flodden, where, according to an ancient 
English poet, he distinguished himself by a furious attempt to retrieve 
the day. See Flodden Field, ed. 1808 : 

' Then on the .Scottish part, right proud, 

The Earl of Bothwell then out brast, 
And stepping forth, with stomacli good, 

Into the enemies' throng he tlirast ; 
And Bothivell I Bothzvelt ! cried bold, 

To cause his souldiers to ensue. 
But tliere he caught a weilcome cold, 

Tlie Knghshmen straight down him threw. 
Thus Haijurn througli his hardy heart 

His fatal fine in conflict found,' etc" 

250. Long may, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Well might his gentle Lady mourn, 
Doom'd ne'er to see her Lord's return."' 

253. ^T-iVas a brave race, etc. " Adam was grandfather to James, 
Earl of Bothwell, too well known in the historv of Oueen Marv " 
(Scott). 

267 And in his turn, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Nor less the Herald Monarch knew 
The Baron's powers to value true — 
Hence confidence between them grew." 

275. And unazvare, etc. The MS. has : 

" Then fell from Lindesay unaware. 
That Marmion might I 1 • 1 1 it 

Marmion might well } '"^ '''^^°'- ^P^''^' 

27S. For that, etc. Scott says : " This story is told by Pitscottie with 
characteristic simplicity: 'The king, seeing that France could get no 
support of him for that time, made a proclamation, full hastily, through 
all the realm of Scotland, both east and west, south and north, as well 
in the Isles as in the firm land, to all manner of man betwixt si.xty and 

»9 



290 NOTES. 

sixteen years, that they should be ready, within twenty days, to pass 
with him, with forty days victual, and to meet at the Burrow-muir of 
Edinburgh, and there to pass forward where he pleased. His procla- 
mations were hastily obeyed, contrary the Council of Scotland's will ; 
but every man loved his prince so well, that they would on no ways dis- 
obey him ; but every man caused make his proclamation so hastily, 
conform to the charge of the king's proclamation. 

" ' The king came to Lithgow, where he happened to be for the time 
at the council, very sad and dolorous, making his devotion to God, to 
send him good chance and fortune in his voyage. In this mean time, 
there came a man clad in a blue gown in at the kirk-door, and belted 
about him in a roll of linen cloth ; a pair of brotikings ^ on his feet, to 
the great of his legs ; with all other hose and clothes conform thereto : 
but he had nothing on his head, but syde - red yellow hair behind, and 
on his haffets,'^ which wan down to his shoulders ; but his forehead was 
bald and bare. He seemed to be a man of two-and-fifty years, with a 
great pike-staff in his hand, and came first forward among the lords, 
crying and speiring ^ for the king, saying, he desired to speak with him. 
While, at the last, he came where the king was sitting in the desk at his 
prayers; but when he saw the king, he made him little reverence or 
salutation, but leaned down grofling on the desk before him, and said 
to him in this manner, as after follows : " Sir king, my mother hath sent 
me to you, desiring you not to pass, at this time, where thou art pur- 
posed ; for if thou does, thou wilt not fare well in thy journey, nor none 
that passeth with thee. Further, she bade thee mell ^ with no woman, 
nor use their counsel, nor let them touch thy body, nor thou theirs ; for, 
if thou do it, thou wilt be confounded and brought to shame." 

" ' By this man had spoken thir words unto the king's grace, the even- 
ing-song was near done, and the king paused on thir words, studying to 
give him an answer ; but, in the mean time, before the king's eyes, and 
in the presence of all the lords that were about him for the time, this 
man vanished away, and could no ways be seen nor comprehended, but 
vanished away as he had been a blink of the sun, or a whip of the whirl- 
wind, and could no more be seen. I heard say. Sir David Lindesay, 
lyon-herauld, and John Inglis the marshal, who were, at that time, young 
men, and special servants to the king's grace, were standing presently 
beside the king, who thought to have laid hands on this man, that they 
might have speired further tidings at him. But all for nought ; they 
could not touch him ; for he vanished away betwixt them, and was no 
more seen.' 

" Buchanan, in more elegant, though not more impressive language, 
tells the same story, and quotes the personal information of our Sir 
David Lindesay: In Us (i. e. cjui propius astiterant), f nit David Linde- 
sius, Afontamis, homo spectatcc Jidei et frobitatis, nee a literariim stzcdiis 
aliemis, et aijiis tofins vitcs tenor longissinie a mentiendo aberrat ; a quo 
nisi ego hcEc uti tradidi, pro certis accepissem, nt znilgatain vanis runiori- 
bus fabidam, omissurns ej'ani' (lib. xiii.). The king's throne, in St. 
Catherine's aisle, which he had constructed for himself, with twelve 

' Buskins. ~ Long. " Cheeks- * Asking. s Meddle. 



CANTO IV. 291 

stalls for the Knights Companions of the Order of the Thistle, is still 
shown as the ]:)lace where the apparition was seen. I know not by what 
means St. Andrew got the credit of having been the celebrated monitor 
of James IV. ; for the expression in Lindcsay's narrative, ' My mother 
has sent nic,' could only be used by St. John, the adopted son of the 
Virgin Mary. The whole story is so well attested, that we have only 
the choice between a miracle or an imposture. Mr. Pinkerton plausibly 
argues, from the caution against incontinence, that the queen was privy 
to the scheme of those who had recourse to this expedient, to deter 
IvMig James from his impolitic war." 

287. Liiilithgcno. vScott, in his Pro7'i>icia/ Antiquities, says : " Linlith- 
gow, distinguished by the combined strength and beauty of its situation, 
must have been early selected as a royal residence. David, who bought 
the title of Saint by his liberality to the Church, refers several of his 
charters to his town of Linlithgow ; and in that of Holyrood expressly 
bestows on the new monastery all the skins of the rams, ewes, and 
lambs, belonging to his castle of Linlitcu, which shall die during the 
year . . . The convenience afforded for the sport of falconry, which was 
so great a favorite during the feudal ages, was probably one cause of 
the attachment of the ancient Scottish monarchs to Linlithgow and its 
fine lake. The sport of hunting was also followed with success in the 
neighborhood, from which circumstance it probably arises that the an- 
cient arms of the city rei'>rescnt a black greyhound bitch tied to a tree. 
. . . The situation of Linlithgow Palace is eminently beautiful. It stands 
on a promontory of some elevation, which advances almost into the 
midst of the lake. The form is that of a square court composed of 
buildings of four stories high, with towers at the angles. The fronts 
within the square, and the windows, are highly ornamented, and the size 
of the rooms, as well as the width and cliaracter of the staircases, are 
upon a magnificent scale. One banquet-room is ninety-four feet long, 
thirty feet wide, and thirty-three feet high, with a gallery for music. 
The king's wardrobe, or dressing-room, looking to the west, projects 
over the walls, so as to have a delicious prospect on three sides, and is 
one of the most enviable boudoirs we have ever seen." 

291. The wild buck bells. "I am glad of an opportunity to describe 
the cry of the deer by another word than braying, although the latter 
has been sanctified by the use of the Scottish metrical translation of the 
Psalms. Bell seems to be an abbreviation of bclhno. This sylvan sound 
conveyed great delight to our ancestors, chiefly, I suppose, from asso- 
ciation. A gentle knight in the reign of Henry VIIL, Sir Thomas 
Wortley, built Wantley Lodge, in Wancliffe Forest, for the pleasure 
(as an ancient inscription testifies) of 'listening to the hart's belT'" 
(Scott). 

298. June sa7v his father s (n'erthroio. " The rebellion against James 
III. was signalized by the cruel circumstance of his son's presence in the 
hostile army. When the king saw his own banner displayed against 
him, and his son in the faction of his enemies, he lost the little courage 
he ever possessed, fled out of the field, fell from his horse, as it started 
at a woman and water-pitcher, and was slain, it is not well understood 
by whom. James IV., after the battle, passed to Stirling, and hearing 



292 AZOTES. 

the monks of the chapel royal deploring the death of his father, their 
founder, he was seized with deep remorse, which manifested itself in 
severe penances. The battle of Sauchie-burn, in which James III. fell, 
was fought iSth June, 1488 " (Scott). See also on v. 247 below. 
302. Offices. Religious duties. The MS. has : 

*' In offices as strict as Lent, 
And penances his Junes are spent." 

306. As wont. As he was wont. See on ii. 587 above. 
310. For 7tow, etc. The MS. reads : 

" For now the year brought round again 
The verv day that he \ „.^^ ,^- 

The day that the third James J "^^^ siain — 
In Catlierine's aisle the Monarch kneels, 
And folded hands j ^^^^ ^,^^^ , j^^^^ „ 

And hands sore clasped ) 

312, Catherine's aisle. St. Catherine's chapel, in the south transept 
of St. Michael's church, which adjoins the palace. See on 278 above. 
318. Sooth to tell. To tell the truth. See on i. 443 above. 

323. As. As if. See on i. 447 above. 

324. Wight. The rhyme with ivhite is hardly admissible. Cf. eye 
and /-in iii. 103, 104 above. 

328. Good my lord. Cf. Hamlet, i. 3. 46 : " Good my brother ; " Julius 
Ccesar, ii. I. 255 : " Dear my lord," etc. 
334. Seemed to me. That is, it seemed to me. 
344. In a low voice, etc. The MS. reads : 

" In a low voice — but every tone 
Thrill'd through the listener's vein and bone ; " 

and just below it has : 

" And if to war thou needs wilt fare, 
Of wanton wiles and woman's \ g,^3,.g t» 
Of woman's wiles and wanton ) 

3157. Cast. Calculated, purposed. Note the repetition of cast in 361. 
362. That glances but, etc. Cf. ii. 306 above. 
374. But I have seen, etc. The MS. has : 

" But events, since I cross'd the Tweed, 
Have undermined my sceptic creed." 

382. The tale, etc. See iii. 324 fol. above. 
388. In vain, etc. The MS. reads: 

" In vain," said he, " to rest I laid 

My burning limbs, and throbbing head — 
Fantastic thoughts return'd ; 

) led, , 
And, bv their wild dominion [ sway'd, 
) sped, 
My heart within me burn'd." 



396. Wold. A low hill or down (iii. 423). 



CANTO IV. 293 

400. Yet was, etc. The MS. has " And yet it was so \o\\ and drear." 
410. I've fought, etc. The MS. reads: 

" I 've been, Lord Lion, many a day, 
In combat single or melee." 

418. Placed in rest, etc See on i. 222 above. 

423. IV/iat coithi he, etc. For this absolute use of can and could, cf. 
Bacon, Essay xi. : "for in evil, the best condition is, not to will; the 
second, not to can ; " Hamlet, iv. 7. 85 : "And they can well on horse- 
back," etc. 

427. Yet did, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Yet doth the worst remain : 
My reeling eyes I upward cast,— 
But opening liell could never blast 

Their sight like what I saw." 

431. St rook. See on iii. 228 above. 

432. Mistook. Used here for the sake of rhyme, but formerly a com- 
mon form of the participle. Cf. Milton, Arcades, 4 : " Too divine to be 
mistook; " Shakespeare, T. G. of V. v. 4. 94 : "I have mistook," etc. 

435. I saii) the face, etc. The MS. reads: 

" I knew the face of one long dead, 
Or who to foreign climes hath fled . 



I knew the face of one who fled 
To foreign climes, or long since dead — 
I well may judge the last." 

449. 'Twere long to tell, etc. Cf. Lady of the Lake, i. 102 : " 'T were 
long to tell what steeds gave o'er," etc. 

456. Gan. The past tense of ^■« = begin, but not a contraction of 
that word. It is common in our old writers. 

462. Trained. Tempted, enticed. Cf. Shakespeare, C. of E. iii. 2. 45 : 
" O, train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note," etc. 

For the tradition concerning Buhner, see on iii. 501 above. 

465. Plaid. See on iv. ind. 73 above. 

467. Rothiemurcus glade. The great pine forests of Rothiemurcus 
and Glenmore are on the Spey in the Highlands, and the other locali- 
ties named are in the same wild region. 

474. Spotless in faith, etc. The jVIS. has " Of spotless faith and bosom 
bold ; " and in 479, 480 : 

" When mortals meditate within 
Fresh guilt, or unrepented sin." 

487. Bowne. Prepare, make ready ; as in v. 569 below. 

490. Dun-Edin's road. The road to Edinburgh, of the name of which 
city Dun-Edin is a Celtic adaptation. 

497. The Braid Hills. These hills are about three miles south of the 
city, Blackford Hill being a mile nearer. 

502. Whin. Gorse, or furze. 

508. St. Giles's. The old parish church of Edinburgh, dedicated to its 
tutelar saint. The steeple is a fine specimen of Gothic work. 



294 NOTES. 

516. Bid different, etc. The MS. reads : 

'• But, oh, far different change has been, 
Since INIarmion, from the crown 
Of Blackford-hill, upon the scene 
Of Scotland's war look'd down." 

519. Bent. Slope ; as in ii. ind. 133 above. 

521. The Borough-moo7'. "The Borough, or common Moor of Edin- 
burgh, was of very great extent, reaching from the southern walls of the 
city to the bottom of Braid Hills. It was anciently a forest ; and, in 
that state, was so great a nuisance, that the inhabitants of Edinburgh 
had permission granted to them of building wooden galleries, projecting 
over the street, in order to encourage them to consume the timber ; 
which they seem to have done very effectually. When James IV. mus- 
tered the array of the kingdom therein 1 513, the Borough-moor was, 
according to Hawthornden, ' a field spacious, and delightful by the 
shade of many stately and aged oaks.' Upon that, and similar occa- 
sions, the royal standard is traditionally said to have been displayed 
from the Hare Stane, a high stone, now built into the wall, on the left 
hand of the highway leading towards Braid, not far from the head of 
Bruntsfield-links. The Hare Stone probably derives its name from the 
British word Hai', signifying an army" (Scott). 

523. A thousand, etc. The MS. reads : 

" A thousand said the verse ? I ween, 
Thousands on tliousands there were seen, 
That whitened all the heath between." 

528. Forming a camp irregidar. Here the stanza ends in the MS. 

535. Hebitdes. The Latin name of the Hebrides. Z(?^/t?« = Lothian ; 
as in ii. 290 above. Redswire, or Reidswire, is a part of the Carter 
IVIountain, about ten miles from Jedburgh. Rosse's rocky ledge is the 
rocky shore of the county of Ross in the northern part of Scotland. 

557. Borth'wick''s Sisters Seven. " Seven culverins, so called, cast by 
one Borthwick " (Scott). See quotation in note on v. 735 below. 

558. And culverins, etc. The ist ed. reads : "By France's King to 
Scotland given.'' A note on the last page of the volume says : " It was 
not the guns called the ' Seven Sisters ' which were given by the French 
King to James, but another train of artillery, also lost at Flodden." 

566. Scroll, pennon, etc. " Each of these feudal ensigns intimated the 
different rank of those entitled to display them " (Scott). 

567. O'er the pavilions flew. Scott says here: "I do not exactly 
know the Scottish mode of encampment in 1513, but Patten {Account of 
Somerset's Expedition) gives a curious description of that which he saw 
after the battle of Pinkey, in 1547 : * Here now, to say some what of the 
maner of their camp: As they had no pavilions, or round houses, of 
any commendable compas. so wear there few other tentes with posts, 
as the used maner of making is ; and of these few also, none of above 
twenty foot length, but most far under ; for the most part all very sump- 
tuously beset (after their fashion) for the love of France, with fleur-de- 
lys, some of blue buckeram, some of black, and some of some other 
colours. These white ridges, as I call them, that, as we stood on Faux- 



CANIO IV. 295 

syde Bray, did make so great muster toward us, which I did take then 
to be a number of tentes, when we came, we found it a linnen drapery, 
of the coarser cambryk in dede, for it was all of canvas sheets, and wear 
the tenticles, or rather cabayns and couches of their soldiers ; the which 
(much after the common building of their country beside) had the\' 
framed of four sticks, about an ell long a piece, whearof two fastened 
together at one end aloft, and the two endes beneath stuck in the ground, 
an ell asunder, standing in fashion like the bowe of a sowes yoke ; oVer 
two such bowes (one, as it were, at their head, the other at their feet) 
they stretched a sheet down on both sides, whereby their cabayn became 
roofed like a ridge, but skant shut at both ends, and not very close be- 
neath on the sides, unless their sticks were the shorter, or their wives 
the more liberal to lend them larger napery ; howbeit, when they had 
lined them, and stuff'd them so thick with straw, with the weather as 
it was not very cold, when they wear ones couched, they were as warm 
as they had been wrapt in horses dung.' " 
570. The staff, etc. The MS. reads here : 

" The standard staff, a inountain pine, 
Pitch'd in a huge memorial stone, 
That still in monument is shown." 

578. The ruddy lion ramped in gold. For the red lion rampant in a 
field of gold, see on 141 above. 

579. Lord Marniioii, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Lord Marmion's large dark eye flash'd light, 
It kindled with a chiefs delight, 
For glow'd with martial joy his heart, 
As upon battle-day." 

597. Has blessed. The reading of all the eds. from the ist down. 
Peace and wealth is taken as a singular subject = national prosperity. 
^()?>. ' T is better, tic. The MS. reads: 

" 'T is better sitting still at rest, 
Than rising but to fall. 
And while these words they did exchange, 
They reach 'd the camp's extremes! range." 

As Lockhart remarks, "the \)OQ.t seems to have struck his pen through 
the last two lines on conceiving the magnificent picture which replaces 
them in the text." 

612. Height. Note the rhyme with state, and cf that with plate and 
weight in v. 24-26 below ; but in v. 43, 45 wc find 7oeight rhymed with 
fight. Scott is rather free in his rhymes. Cf. i. 1S3, 185, 410, 411, ii. 
ind. 118, 119, iii. 87, 88, etc. above. 

614. The steep slope. That on which the " Old Town " of Edinburgh 
is built. 

617. Mine own romantic to7vn. The MS. has " Dun-Edin's towers 
and town." 

619. On Ochil mountains. The highest of the Ochils rises 2,400 feet 
above the sea. 

623. Ber-wick-La-iO. A hill, 640 feet high, immediately south of North 
Ikrwick. Cf. v. 836 below. 



296 NOTES. 

625. Firth. The reading of the ist and other early eds. The recent 
ones all have "Frith." 

632. Dej7ii-volt. A movement to which horses were trained, the fore- 
feet being raised in a particular manner. See on v. 32 below. 

635. The Lindesay. Lockhart says that the MS. has "The Lion ; " 
but this is the reading of the ist ed., as in 647 below, where Lockhart 
makes the same mistake. 

646. Prime. The first canonical hour of prayer, or 6 a. M. 

650. Saint Catherine's of SiejiJie. The MwS. has "our Lady's of Sienne." 
St. Catherine of Siena (so called to distinguish her from the Catherines 
of Alexandria and Bologna) was one of the most noted of female saints, 
St. Rocque, or St. Rock, was a famous French saint. 

652. To you, etc. The MS. reads: 

" To you they speak of martial fame, 
To me of mood more mild and tame — 
Blither would be their cheer," etc. 

655. FalJdand-zMods. In Fife, about 25 miles from Edinburgh. Here 
is still to be seen the ruined palace of the Scottish kings, who resorted 
thither for the sake of the chase. 

663. Proof to. Proof against, as we should now say- 

66^. Halls. The MS. has "fanes." 

669. Their la7'7wi. Most of the eds. misprint "the larum." 

674. Dream, etc. The MS. has " Dream of a conquest cheaply 
bought." 

679. Stoivre. Battle, tumult. Cf. Spenser, /: Q. i. 2. 7 : " Then gan 
she wail and weepe to see that woeful stowre ; " Fairfax, Tasso, ii. 38 : 
"That wonts in every warlike stour to win," etc. 

680. hi bower. In their chambers. See on i. ind. 321 above. 

681. Her monks, etc. The MS. has " Their monks dead masses sing." 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO FIFTH. 

George Ellis, Esq. (1745-1815), to whom this epistle is addressed, 
was an accomplished scholar and writer, the coadjutor of Canning and 
Frere in the Antijacobin, and editor of Specimens of Ancieiit English Ro- 
mances. Many of his letters to Scott may be found in Lockhart's Life. 

23. Darkling. In the dark (see on iii. 551 above) for lack of news 
from London. 

28. To seek our city home. See p. 230 above. 

36. Ettrick, stripped, etc. See ii. ind. i fol. above. 

37. Caledonia's Queeii, etc. "The Old Town of Edinburgh was se- 
cured on the north side by a lake, now drained, and on the south by a 
wall, which there was some attempt to make defensible even so late as 
1745. The gates, and the greater part of the wall, have been pulled 
down, in the course of the fate extensive and beautiful enlargement of 



CANTO V. 297 

the city. Mr. Thomas Campl^ell proposed to celebrate Edinburgh 
under the epithet here borrowed. But the ' Queen of the North ' has 
not been so fortunate as to receive from so eminent a pen the proposed 
distinction " (Scott). 

49. The studded gate. The heavy iron-studded gate which was closed 
at night, admittance being then allowed only at the wicket, or small door 
in the gate. This was not opened except after due parley ; hence the 
churlishly. 

57. Flinging thy tohite anus, etc. Scott says : " Since writing this 
line, I find I have inadvertently borrowed it almost verbatim, though 
with somewhat a different meaning, from a chorus in Caractacus : — 

" * Britain heard the descant bold, 

She flung her white arms o'er the sea, 
Proud in her leafy bosom to enfold 
The height of harmony.' " 

62. The Champio)u'ss, etc. See Spenser, F. Q. iii. 9. 20 fol. 

67. What time. See on i. 301 above. 

69. When from the corselet's grasp reliez'ed, etc. Cf. Spenser: 

" Shea also dofte her heavy haberjeon, 
Which the faire feature of her limbs did hyde,"' etc. 

72. Aventayle. The ventail, or movable front of the helmet. 

73. And daii'n her shoulders, etc. Cf. Spenser : 

— " whenas vailed' was her lofty crest, 
Her golden locks, that were in trammells gay 
Upbounden, did themselves adowne display 
And raught unto her heeles," etc. 

78. Biit looking, etc. Cf. Spenser : " Yet every one her likte, and 
every one her lov'd." 

90. Battled. Sec on i. 4 above. 

100. W^luntary line. Cf. iv. ind. 10 above. 

106. Knosp. An architectural ornament resembling a bud, which the 
word literally means. 

III. 1)1 patriarchal times. See 6'<:';/. xviii. and xix. 

118. To Henry, etc. Scott says here : " Henry VI.,' with his Queen, 
his heir, and the chiefs of his family, fled to S'cotland after the fatal 
battle of Towton. In this note, a doubt was formerly expressed, whether 
Henry VI. came to Edinburgh, though his Queen certainly did, Mr. 
Pinkcrton inclining to believe that he remained at Kirkcudbright. But 
my noble friend. Lord Napier, has pointed out to me a grant by Henry, 
of an annuity of forty marks to his Lordship's ancestor, John Napier, 
subscribed by the King himself, at Edinburgh, the 2Sth day of August, 
in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, which corresponds to the year of 
God, 1461. This grant, Douglas, with his usual neglect of accuracy, 
dates in 1368. But this error being corrected from the copy in Macfar- 
lane's MSS., ]). 119, 20, removes all scepticism on the subject of Henry 
VI. being really at Edinburgh. John Napier was son and heir of Sir 
Alexander Napier, and about this time was Provost of Edinburgh." 

1 Lowered, let fall. See on iii. 234 above. 



298 NOTES. 

120. Great Bourbon^ s relics, etc. " In January, 1796, the exiled Count 
d' Artois, afterwards Charles X. of France, took up his residence in 
Holyrood, where he remained until August, 1799. When again driven 
from his country by the Revolution of July, 1830, the same unfortunate 
Prince, with all the immediate members of his family, sought refuge 
once more in the ancient palace of the Stuarts, and remained there until 
i8th September, 1S32," (Scott). 

131. Than gaze, etc. The MS. has " Than gaze out on the foggy fen." 

139. Whilere. Erewhile, a while ago. Cf. Milton, Ode on Circwn- 
cision, 10 : 

" He who with all Heaven's heraldry' whilere 
Enter'd the world," etc. 

140. Cotdd win, etc. "Mr. Ellis, in his valuable Introduction to the 
Specifnens of Romance, has proved, by the concurring testimony of La 
Ravaillere, Tressan, but especially the Abbe de la Rue, that the courts 
of our Anglo-Norman kings, rather than those of the French monarchs, 
produced the birth of romance literature. Marie, soon after mentioned, 
compiled from Armorican originals, and translated into Norman- French, 
or romance language, the twelve curious Lays, of which Mr. Ellis has 
given us a precis in the Appendix to his Introduction. The story of 
Blondel, the famous and faithful minstrel of Richard I., needs no com- 
mentary " (Scott). 

For royal, the ist ed. has " Second." 

141. For that. Because that. See on iv. 171 above. 

147, 154. Oh ! horn, etc. Referring to Mr. Ellis's Specimens of Early 
English Poets and Early English Romances, the latter of which is alluded 
to by Scott in the note on 140 above. 

180. Till Windsor's oaks, etc. " At Sunning-hill, Mr. Ellis's seat, 
near Windsor, part of the first two cantos of Mamiion was written " 
(Lockhart). Ascot is in the same neighborhood. 

185. The storied pane. Cf. Milton, // Pens. 159: "storied windows 
richly dight." 



CANTO FIFTH. 

2. The barrier-guard, etc. The MS. reads : 

" The barrier-guard the Lion knew, 
Advanced their pikes, and soon withdrew 
The slender palisades and few 

That closed the tented ground ; 
And Marmion with his train rode through, 

Across its ample bound." 

6. Ajid carried, etc. This line is not in the 1st ed. 

12. Such length, etc. The MS. has " So long their shafts, so large 
their bows." 

18. The cloth-yard arrows, etc. " This is no poetical exaggeration. 
In some of the counties of England, distinguished for archery, shafts of 



CANTO V. 299 

this extraordinary length were actually used. Thus, at the battle of 
Blackheath, between the troops of Henry VII. and the Cornish insur- 
gents, in 1496, the bridge of Dartford was defended by a picked l)and 
of archers from the rebel army, 'whose arrows,' says Holinshed, 'were 
in length a full cloth yard.' The Scottish, according to Ascham, had a 
]:)roverb, that every English archer carried under his belt twenty-four 
Scots, in allusion to his bundle of unerring shafts " (Scott). 

29. Practised their chargers, &X.C. The MS. has " There urged their 
chargers," etc. 

32. To pass, to ivhecl, etc. Scott quotes Lord Herbert of Cherbury's 
Life : " The most useful air, as the Frenchmen term it, is territerr ; the 
coiirbettcs, cabrioles, or tin pas ct lui sault, being fitter for horses of parade 
and triumph than for soldiers: vet I cannot deny but a deniivolte with 
coiirbettes, so that they be not too high, may be usefull in a fight or nieslee ; 
for, as Labrouc hath it, in his Book of Horsemanship, Monsieur de 
Montmorency having a horse that was excellent in performing the demi- 
volte, did, with his sword, strike down two adversaries from their horses 
in a tourney, where divers of the prime gallants of France did meet ; 
for, taking his time, when the horse was in the height of his conrbette, 
and discharging a blow then, his sword fell with such weight and force 
upon the two cavaliers, one after another, that he struck them from 
their horses to the ground." 

36. The hardy burghers. " The Scottish burgesses were, like yeomen, 
appointed to be armed with bows and sheaves, sword, buckler, knife, 
spear, or a good axe instead of a bow, if worth £100 : their armor to 
be of white or bright harness. They wore ^uhite hats, i. e. bright steel 
caps, without crest or visor. By an act of James IV., their zveapon- 
schawiiigs are appointed to be held four times a-year, under the alder- 
men or bailiffs" (Scott). 

41. Brigantines. Body armor composed of iron rings or small iron 
plates sewed upon canvas or leather, and covered with similar materials. 
The gorget was a piece of armor for the throat or neck. 

45. And many, etc. The MS. reads : 



And mails did many { ^^^^ j of weight." 



53. His arms, etc. " Bows and quivers were in vain recommended to 
the peasantry of Scotland, by repeated statutes ; sj^ears and a.xes seem 
universally to have been used instead of them. Their defensive armor 
was the plate-jack, haul)erk, or brigantine ; and their missile weapons 
cross-bows and culverins. All wore swords of excellent temper, accord- 
ing to Patten ; and a voluminous handkerchief round their neck, 'not 
for cold, but for cutting.' The mace also was much used in the Scottish 
army. The old poem on the battle of Flodden mentions a band — 

' Who manfully did meet their foes. 
With leaden mauls and lances long.' 

" When the feudal array of the kingdom was called forth, each man 
was obliged to ai:)pear with forty days' provision. When this was ex- 
pended, which took place before the battle of Flodden, the army melted 



300 NOTES. 

away of course. Almost all the Scottish forces, except a few knights, 
men-at-arms, and the Border-prickers, who formed excellent light cav- 
alry, acted upon foot " (Scott). 

54. Hagbiit. See on ii. ind. 48 above. 

56. Cheer. Face ; its original sense. Cf. 244 below, and see Lady of 
the Lake, p. 220. 

59. Hhising. Wondering ; as often in Shakespeare. Cf. Macbeth, iii. 
4. 85: " Do not muse at me ; " King John, iii. i. 317 ; "I muse 3^our 
majesty doth seem so cold,"' etc. 

73. Slogan. The Highland battle-cry, Cf. vi. 811 below. 

75. Pricker. Horseman. Cf. 491 below, and see on i. ind. 294 above. 

93. Hist, Ringan, etc. The MS. reads ; 

" Hist, Ringan ! seest thou there ! 

Canst guess what homeward road they take — 

By Eusedale glen, or Yetholm lake? 

Oh ! could we but by bush or brake 

Beset a prize so fair ! 
The fangless Lion, too, his guide, 
Might chance to lose his glittering hide." 

96. Eusedale. The valley of the Ease, or E^vs, which, like the Lid- 
dell, fiows into the Esk. For some miles the Liddell is the boundary 
between England and Scotland. 

100. Afaudlin. A female name corrupted from Magdalen. Maud is 
a contraction of it. Pied=^ variegated. A kirtle rare =^a. fine gown. 

107. Trews. The tartan trousers of the Highlanders. For the pro- 
nunciation oi plaid, see on iv. ind. 73 above. 

no. Wild through, tic. The MS. reads: 

" Wild from their red and swarthy hair 
Look'd through their eyes with savage stare." 

135. The pipes. That is, the bagpipes. 

147. To wheel, etc. That is, to provide the spur with a wheel, or 
rowel. 

157.. Follaiving. Scott explains this as = " feudal retainers; " but, as 
Tockhart remarks, the word has since been "completely adopted into 
English, and especially into Parliamentary parlance." 

165. Wines. " In all transactions of great or petty importance, and 
among whomsoever taking place, it would seem that a present of wine 
was an uniform and indispensable preliminary. It was not to Sir John 
Falstaff alone that such an introductory preface was necessary, however 
well judged and acceptable on the part of Mr. Brook ; for Sir Ralph 
Sadler, while on embassy to Scotland in 1539-1540, mentions, with 
complacency, 'the same night came Rothesay (the herald so called) 
to me again, and brought me wine from the king, both white and red' " 
(Scott). 

167. Andxvhen, etc. This line is not in the ist ed. 

168. Dons. The ist ed. has "donned." For zy^tv/j = garments, see 
on i. ind. 256 above. 

173. Princely boiuer. Used loosely for palace, or residence; as in 
404 below. • 



CANTO r. 301 

191, T/ie licensed fool. The professional /<7<7/, or jester, who was found 
in every roval or noble household. The long-eared cap and motley vest 
were his regular attire- Cf. Shakespeare, A. V. L. ii. 7. 42 : 

" O that I were a fool ! 
I am ambitious for a motley coat." 

200. Can vieio. The omission of the relative (especially after thai) 
was common in Elizabethan prose as well as poetry. Cf. Bacon, Es- 
say yi\yX\.\ "your knowledge of that you are thought to know." See 
also Matt. xx. 14. 

212. Were. The reading of the early eds. All recent ones have 
" was," which Scott would not have written here. 

215. Sheen. Shining; as in 285 below. Cf. Lady of the Lake, p. 186, 
note on 2oS. 

218. IVroitghf with, etc. The IMS. has " Bearing," etc. 

220. His trusty blade, etc. The MS. reads : 

" His trusty blade, Toledo right, 
Descended from a baldric bright, 

And dangled at his knee : 
White were his buskins ; from their heel 
His spurs inlaid | „f „„i . , ,j „»^,i 
His fretted spurs )°fg"^^'^"^^»^^^ 

Were jingling merrily." 

Right = true, genuine. 

'221. Baldric. Belt; as in Spenser, F. Q. i. 7. 29: "Athwart his 
brest a bauldrick brave he ware," etc. 

244. Cheer. See on 56 above. 

247. His iron belt. " Few readers need to be reminded of this belt, 
to the weight of which James added certain ounces every year that he 
lived. Pitscottie founds his belief that James was not slain in the bat- 
tle of Flodden, because the English never had this token of the iron 
belt to show to any Scottishman. The person and character of James 
are delineated according to our best historians. His romantic disposi- 
tion, which led him highly to relish gaycty, approaching to license, was, 
at the same time, tinged with enthusiastic devotion. The propensities 
sometimes formed a strange contrast. He was wont, during his fits of 
devotion, to assume the dress, and conform to the rules, of the order of 
Franciscans ; and when lie had thus done penance for some time in 
Stirling, to plunge again into the tide of pleasure. Probably, too, with 
no unusual inconsistency, he sometimes laughed at the superstitious 
observances to which he at other times subjected himself. There is a 
very singular ])oem by Dunbar, sceminglv addressed to James IV. on 
one of these occasions of monastic seclusion. It is a most daring and 
profane parody on the services of the Church of Rome, entitled, — 

' Dunbar's Dirige to the King, 

Bydhig tnver latig in Striviling. 

\Ve that are here, in heaven's glory, 
To you that are in Purgatory, 
Commend us on our hearty wise ; 
I mean we folks in Paradise, 



302 AX^ TES. 

In Edinburgh, with all merriness, 
To you in Stirling, with distress, 
Where neither pleasure nor delight is, 
For pity this epistle wrytis,' etc. 

See the whole m Sibbald's Collection, vol. i. p. 234" (Scott). 

260. O'er James's heart, etc. " It has been already noticed, that King 
James's acquaintance with Lady Heron of Ford did not commence until 
he marched into England. Oiir historians impute to the king's infatu- 
ated passion the delays which led to the fatal defeat of Flodden. The 
author of The Genealogy of the Heron Family endeavors, with laudable 
anxiety, to clear the Lady Ford from this scandal : that she came and 
went, however, between the armies of James and Surrey, is certain. 
See Pinkerton's History, and the authorities he refers to, vol. ii. p. 99. 
Heron of Ford had been, in 151 1, in some sort accessory to the slaugh- 
ter of Sir Robert Ker of Cessford, Warden of the Middle Marches. 
It was committed by his brother the bastard, Lilburn, and Starked, 
three Borderers. Lilburn and Heron of Ford were delivered up by 
Henry to James, and were imprisoned in the fortress of Fastcastle, 
where the former died. Part of the pretence of Lady Ford's negotia- 
tions with James was the liberty of her husband " (Scott). 

269. For the fair Queen of France, etc. " 'Also the Queen of France 
wrote a love-letter to the King of Scotland, calling him her love, shew- 
ing him that she had suffered much rebuke in France for the defending 
of his honor. She believed surely that he would recompense her again 
with some of his kingly support 'in her necessity; that is to say, that 
he would raise her an army, and come three foot of ground on English 
ground, for her sake. To that effect she sent him a ring off her finger, 
with fourteen thousand French crowns to pay his expenses ' (Pitscottie, 
p. no). A turquoise ring — probably this fatal gift — is, with James's 
sword and dagger, preserved in the College of Heralds, London " 
(Scott). 

283. The sooth to tell. See on i. 443 above. 

2%i,. Nor England's fair, t.tz. The MS. reads: 

" Nor France's queen nor England's fair 
Were worth one pearl-drop, passing rare, 
From Margaret's eyes that fell." 

For sheen, see on 215 above. 

287. Lithgow's bower. Linlithgow Palace. See on iv. 287 above. 
For the form Lithg07U in prose, see p. 290.- 

301-312. For, all for heat, etc. The MS. has only the following: 

" For, all for heat, was laid aside 

Her wimpled hood and gorget's pride : 
And on the righted harp with glee, 
Mingled with arch simplicity, 
A soft, yet lively, air she rang, 
While thus her voice attendant sang." 

302. Wimple. Veil. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. i. 12. 22 : 

" For sh 
And V. 

See also Isaiah, iii. 22. 



For she had layd her mournefull stole aside, 
And widow-like sad wimple throwne away." 



CANTO V. 303 

307. Her prcttv oath, by yea and nay. Lady Heron swears, as Hot- 
spur said of his Kate (i Henry /T. ni. i. 253), "like a comfit-maker's 
wife," not the "good mouth-filling oath" which he thought became a 
" lady." For by yea and nay, cf. Z. L. L.\. i. 54: " By yea and nay, 
sir, then I swore in jest," etc. 

313. Oh ! young Lorhinvar, etc. Scott says that this ballad is "in a 
very slight degree " founded on one called " Katherine Janfarie," which 
may be found in the Border Minstrelsy. The metre of it is anapestic, 
that is, with the' accent regularly on every third syllable ; but the iambus 
(two syllables, with the second accented) often takes the place of the 
anapest (three syllables, with the third accented), especially at the be- 
ginning of a line. 

332. The Solway. " See the novel of Redganiitlet for a detailed pic- 
ture of some of the extraordinary phenomena of the Spring-tides in the 
Solway Frith" (Lockhart). 

344. Galliard. A lively dance. Cf. Henry V. i. 2. 252: "a nimble 
galliard," etc. 

353. Scaur. Steep river bank or cliff. 

37S. Broad. That is, with the broad-seal of the sovereign. Cf. broad 
letter in S62 below. 

392. And zc'hen his blood, etc. The ist ed. reads : 
" And, when his blood and heart were high, 
King James's minions led to die 
On Lauder's dreary flat." 
Lockhart ascribes this reading to the MS. 

398. Archibald Bell-the-Cat. Scott has the following note here : 

*' Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, a man remarkable for strength 
of body and mind, acquired the popular name of Bell-the-Cat upon the 
following remarkable occasion : James the Third, of whom Pitscottie 
complains that he delighted more in music and 'policies of building.' 
than in hunting, hawking, and other noble exercises, was so ill advised 
as to make favorites of his architects and musicians, whom the same 
historian irreverently terms masons and fiddlers. His nobility, who did 
not sympathize in the king's respect for the fine arts, were extremely 
incensed at the honors conferred on those persons, particularly on Coch- 
ran, a mason, who had been created Earl of Mar ;and seizing the op- 
portunity, when, in 14S2, the king had convoked the whole array of the 
country to march against the English, they held a midnight council in 
the church of Lauder, for the purpose of forcibly removing these min- 
ions from the king's person. When all had agreed on the propriety of 
■ this measure. Lord Gray told the assembly the apologue of the Mice, 
who had formed a resolution, that it would be highly advantageous to 
their community to tie a bell round the cat's neck, that they might hear 
her approach at a distance; but which public measure unfortunately 
miscarried, from no mouse being willing to undertake the task of fas- 
tening the bell. ' I understand the moral,' said Angus, ' and, that what 
we propose may not lack execution, I will bell the cat.'' The rest of the 
strange scene is thus told by Pitscottie : — 

*' ' By this was advised and spoken by thir lords foresaiil, Cochran, 
the Earl of Mar, came from the king to the council (which council was 



304 jVOTES. 

holden in the kirk of Lawder for the time), who was well accompanied 
with a band of men of war, to the number of three hundred light axes, 
all clad in white livery, and black bends thereon, that they might be 
known for Cochran the Earl of Mar's men. Himself was clad in a riding- 
pie of black velvet, with a great chain of gold about his neck, to the 
value of five hundred crowns, and four blowing-horns, with both the 
ends of gold and silk, set with a precious stone, called a berryl, hanging 
in the midst- This Cochran had his heumont born before him, overgilt 
with gold, and so were all the rest of his horns, and all his pallions were 
of fine canvas of silk, and the cords thereof fine twined silk, and the 
chains upon his pallions were double overgilt with gold. 

'" This Cochran was so proud in his conceit, that he counted no lords 
to be marrows to him, therefore he rushed rudely at the kirk-door. The 
council enquired who it was that perturbed them at that time. Sir 
Robert Douglas, Laird of Lochlevin, was keeper of the kirk-door at 
that time, who inquired who that was that knocked so rudely ? and 
Cochran answered, " This is I, the Earl of Mar." The which news 
pleased well the lords, because they were ready boun to cause take him, 
as is afore rehearsed. Then the Earl of Angus past hastily to the 
door, and with him Sir Robert Douglas of Lociilevin, there to receive 
in the Earl of Mar, and so many of his complices who were there, as 
they thought good. And the Earl of Angus met with the Earl of Mar, 
as he came in at the door, and pulled the golden chain from his craig, 
and said to him, a tow} would set him better. Sir Robert Douglas 
syne pulled the blowing-horn from him in like manner, and said, " He 
had been the hunter of mischief over long." This Cochran asked, "My 
lords, is it mows '^ or earnest } " They answered, and said, it is good 
earnest, and so thou shalt find : for thou and thy complices have abused 
our prince this long time ; of whom thou shalt have no more credence, 
but shall have thy reward according to thy good service, as thou hast 
deserved in times bypast ; right so the rest of thy followers. 

" ' Notwithstanding, the lords held them quiet till they caused certain 
armed men to pass into the king's pallion, and two or three wise men 
to pass with them, and give the king fair pleasant words, till they laid 
hands on all the king's servants, and took them and hanged them before 
his eyes over the bridge of Lawder. Incontinent they brought forth 
Cochran, and his hands bound with a tow, who desired them to take 
one of his own pallion-tows and bind his hands, for he thought shame 
to have his hands bound with such tow of hemp, like a thief. The 
lords answered, he was a traitor, he deserved no better ; and, for de- 
spight, they took a hair-tether,'^ and hanged him over the bridge of 
Lawder, above the rest of his complices.' " 

400. Hermitage in Liddisdale. The ruins of Hermitage Castle are 
still to be seen on the bank of the Hermitage Water, a tributary of the 
Liddell (see on 96 above). 

402. Where BothwelVs turrets, etc. This is to be joined with what 
follows, not with what precedes : he left the Hermitage to fix his resi- 
dence at Bothwell Castle. The picturesque ruins of this castle are on 

1 Rope. - Jest. '■ Halter. 



CANTO V. 305 

the right bank of the Clyde, a few miles from Glasgow. The beautiful 
declivity called BotJnvell Bank is celebrated in Scottish song. 
404. Princely bowers. See on 173 above. 

414. A)id ch.ifed his royal lord. "Angus was an old man when the 
war against England was resolved upon. lie earnestly spoke against 
that measure from its commencement, and, on the eve of the battle ©f 
Flodden, remonstrated so freely upon the impolicy of fighting, that the 
king said to him, with scorn and indignation, ' if he was afraid, he might 
go home.' The Earl burst into tears at this insupportable insult, and 
retired accordingly, leaving his sons, George, Master of Angus, and Sir 
William of Glenbervie, to command his followers. They were both 
slain in the baitle, with two hundred gentlemen of the name of Douglas. 
The aged Earl, broken-hearted at the calamities of his house and his 
countr}', retired into a religious house, where he died about a )-ear after 
the field of Flodden " (Scott). 

425. While. The reading of the early eds. Many recent ones sub- 
stitute the harsher ** Whilst," which is the worse for the sibilant that 
follows. 

429. Tautallon Hold. "The ruins of Tantallon Castle occupy a high 
rock projecting into the German Ocean, about two miles east of North 
Berwick. The building is not seen till a close approach, as there is ris- 
ing ground betwixt it and the land. The circuit is of large extent, fenced 
upon three sides by the precipice which overhangs the sea, and on the 
fourth by a double ditch and very strong outworks. Tantallon was a 
principal castle of the Douglas family, and when the Earl of Angus was 
banished, in 1527, it continued to hold out against James V. The king 
went in person against it, and, for its reduction, borrowed from the 
castle of Dunbar, then belonging to the Duke of Albany, two great 
cannons, whose names, as Pitscottie informs us with laudable minute- 
ness, were 'Thrawn-mouth'd Mow and her Marrow;' also, 'two great 
botcards and two itioyan, two doul)le falcons, and four quarter-falcons ; ' 
for the safe-guiding and redelivery of which three lords were laid in 
pawn at Dunbar. Yet, notwithstanding all this apparatus, James was 
forced to raise the siege, and only afterwards obtained possession of 
Tantallon by treaty with the governor, Simeon Panango. When the 
Earl of Angus returned from banishment, upon the death of James, he 
again obtained possession of Tantallon, and it actually afforded refuge 
to an English ambassador, under circumstances similar to those de- 
scribed in the text. This was no other than the celebrated Sir Ralph 
Sadler, who resided there for some time under Angus's protection, after 
the failure of his negotiation for matching the infant Mary with Edward 
Vr. He says, that though this place was poorly furnished, it was of 
such strength as might warrant him against the malice of his enemies, 
and that he now thought himself out of danger. 

" There is a military tradition, that the old Scotch March was meant 
to express the words, 

' Ding down Tantallon, 
Mak a brig to the Bass.' 

" Tantallon was at length ' dung down ' and ruined by the Covenanters ; 
its lord, the Marquis of Douglas, being a favorer of the royal cause. 

20 



3o6 NOTES. 

The castle and barony were sold in the beginning of the eighteenth cen- 
tury to President Dalrymple of North Berwick, by the then Marquis 
of Douglas." 

432. He wears their motto, etc. '* A very ancient sword, in posses- 
sion of Lord Douglas, bears, among a great deal of flourishing, two 
hands pointing to a heart, which is placed betwixt them, and the date 
1329, being the year in which Bruce charged the Good Lord Douglas 
to carry his heart to the Holy Land. The following lines (the first 
couplet of which is quoted by Godscroft as a popular saying in his 
time) are inscribed around the emblem : — 

* So mony guid as of ye Dovglas beinge, 

Of ane surname was ne'er in Scotland seine. 

' I will ye charge, efter yat I depart, 
To holy grawe, and thair bury my hart ; 
Let it remane ever bothe tyme and howr, 
To ye last day I sie my Saviour. 

• I do protest in tyme of al my ringe, 
Ye lyk subject had never ony keing.' 

" This curious and valuable relic was nearly lost during the Civil War 
of 1745-1746, being carried away from Douglas Castle by some of those 
in arms for Prince Charles. But great interest having been made by 
the Duke of Douglas among the chief partisans of the Stuart, it was at 
length restored. It resembles a Highland claymore of the usual size, 
is of an excellent temper, and admirably poised " (Scott). 

437. But e'en, etc. The MS. has " But yestermorn was hither driven." 

444. Cochran'' s soul. See on 398 above. 

455, 456. Angus, my hasty speech, etc. These two lines are not in 
the MS. 

461. More tender and more true. Scott quotes The Houlate : 

" O Dowglas ! Dowglas ! 
Tendir and trew." 

470. Her sparrow part. The MS. has " her love depart." Yox part=- 
depart, see on i. 20 above. 

491. Prickers. See on 75 above. 

501. A hall! a hall I "The ancient cry to make room for a dance 
or pageant" (Scott). Cf. Romeo and Juliet, i. 5. 28 : "A hall ! a hall ! 
give room ! and foot it, girls ! " 

552. Was by. Was over, had ceased. Cf. iv. ind. 124 above 

559. Antiqtce. Accented on the first syllable. See on iv. ind. 171 
above. 

569. Botvne. See on iv. 487 above. 

580-602. De Wilton, etc. Jeffrey, in the Edinburgh Review, refers 
to this passage as one of those " in which the flatness and tediousness of 
the narrative is relieved by no sort of beauty nor elegance of diction, 
and which form an extraordinary contrast with the more animated and 
finished portions of the poem." 

585. Despiteously. Furiously. For the adjective, cf. Spenser, F. Q. 
ii. 7. 62 : " Jewes despiteous," etc. 



CAN7V V. 307 

587. Martin Swart. " A German general who commanded the aux- 
iliaries sent by the Duchess of Burgundy with Lambert Simnel. He 
was defeated and killed at Stokefield. His name is preserved by that 
of the field of battle, which is called, after him, Swart-moor. There 
were songs about him long current in England. See dissertation pre- 
fixed to Ritson's Ancient Songs, 1792, p. Ixi." (Scott). 

592. Wont. See on ii. 5S7 above. 

596. Scroll. Letters, correspondence. Cf. 614 below. 

607. Perchance some form, etc. " It was early necessary for those who 
felt themselves obliged to believe in the divine judgment being enun- 
ciated in the trial by duel, to find salvos for the strange and obviously 
precarious chances of the combat. Various curious evasive shifts, used 
by those who took up an unrighteous quarrel, were supposed sufficient 
to convert it into a just one. Thus, in the romance of ' Amys and Ame- 
lion,' the one brother-in-arms, fighting for the other, disguised in his 
armor, swears that he did not commit the crime of which the Steward, 
his antagonist, truly, though maliciously, accused him whom he repre- 
sented. Brantome [Discours sitr Ics Duels) tells the story of an Italian, 
who entered the lists upon an unjust quarrel, but, to make his cause 
good, fled from his enemy at the first onset. ' Turn, coward ! ' exclaimed 
his antagonist. ' Thou liest,' said the Italian, ' coward am I none ; and 
in this quarrel will I fight to the death, but my first cause of combat 
was unjust, and I abandoned it.' ' Je nous laisse ci penser,^ adds Brantome, 
* j'// 7ty a pas de Palms la.^ Elsewhere he says, very sensibly, upon the 
confidence which those who had a righteous cause entertained of vic- 
tory : ' Un autre alms y avoit-il, que cenx qui avoient un juste subjet de 
querelle, et quon les faisoit jurcr avant entrer an camp, pensoient estre 
anssitost vainqueurs, voire s'en assuroient-t-ils du tout, mesmes que leurs 
confesseurs, parrains et confidants leurs en respondoient tout-a-fait, comme 
si Dieu leur en eust donne tine patetite ; et ne regardant point d d'autres 
/antes pas sees, et que Dieu en garde la punition d. ce coup Ih pour plus 
grande, despiteuse, et exemplaire ' " (Scott). 

612. Recreant. This, like craven, was a specific term for a knight 
vanquished in the trial by battle. Cf. Richard II. i. 2. 50: 

" Be Mowbray's sins so heavy in his bosom 
That they may break liis foaming courser's back, 
And throw the rider headlong in the lists, 
A caitiff recreant to my cousin Hereford ! " 

616. Drenched him with. Made him drink. Z?r^«<r/^ is a " causative " 
from drink ; Wke/ell ixomfall, lay from lie, etc. 

621. Livings. Possessions. 

627. Edeljled. See on ii. 244 above. 

633. Tame. A small river that flows into the Trent, a few miles to 
the north of Tamworth. 

641. Spoiled. That is, being thus spoiled, or defrauded. 

661. Clerk. Scribe, scholar. Cf. iii. 324 above. 

662. Quaint. Neat, fine ; as often in Elizabethan En^^ish. Cf. the 
adverb in Shakespeare, T. G. of V. ii. i. 128: "the lines are very 
quaintly writ." Silvia has said, a moment before, that they are " very 
clerklv done." 



308 NOTES. 

665. Scheme. Plan, contrive. Peter Bayne, writing of Coleridge, 
says that " he schemed an epic," etc. 

677. ''Twere long, etc. Cf. iv. 449 above. 

691. Wolsey. That is, Cardinal Wolsey. Cf. 691 and vi. 1167 below. 

697. What aiVst thou ? " What ails thee } " would be the more com- 
mon construction. Cf. Gen. xxi. 17. Shakespeare, however, uses the 
other in the only two instances in which he has ail : A. W. ii. 4. 6: 
" what does she ail .^" and W. T. iii. 3. 83 : " What ailest thou, man ?" 

704. Saint Withold. A corruption of the name of St. Vitalis. Cf. 
Lear, iii. 4. 125 : " Saint Withold footed thrice the old " (wold), etc. 

706. Battled. See on i. 4 above. 

709. Dun-Edin's Cross, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Dun-Edin's Cross, a pillar'd stone. 
Rose on a turret hexagon ; 
(Dust unto dust, lead unto lead, 

On its destroyer's drowsy ) . , , 

Upon its base destroyer's j 

The Minstrel's malison is said.)" 

Scott says here : " The Cross of Edinburgh was an ancient and cu- 
rious structure. The lower part was an octagonal tower, sixteen feet 
in diameter, and about fifteen feet high. At each angle there was a 
pillar, and between them an arch, of the Grecian shape. Above these 
was a projecting battlement, with a turret at each corner, and medal- 
lions, of rude but curious workmanship, between them. Above this 
rose the proper Cross, a column of one stone, upwards of twenty feet 
high, surmounted with an unicorn. This pillar is preserved at the House 
of Drum, near Edinburgh. The Magistrates of Edinburgh, in 1756, with 
consent of the Lords of Session [proh pitdor !) , destroyed this curious 
monument, under a wanton pretext, that it encumbered the street ; while, 
on the one hand, they left an ugly mass, called the Luckenbooths, and, 
on the other, an awkward, long, and low guard-house, which were fifty 
times more encumbrance than the venerable and inoffensive Cross. 

" From the tower of the Cross, so long as it remained, the heralds 
published the acts of Parliament ; and its site, marked by radii diverg- 
ing from a stone centre, in the High Street, is still the place where 
proclamations are made." 

Since the above was written the shaft of the old Cross has been set 
up within the railings of St. Giles's Church, very near its original site. 

J ly. Malison. "Curse" (Scott). 

725. As. As if. See on i. 447 above. 

735. This awful summons came. Scott says: "This supernatural 
citation is mentioned by all our Scottish historians. It was, probably, 
like the apparition at Linlithgow, an attempt, by those averse to the 
war, to impose upon the superstitious temper of James IV. The fol- 
lowing account from Pitscottie is characteristically minute, and fur- 
nishes, besides, some curious particulars of the equipment of the army of 
James IV. I need only add to it, that Plotcock, or Plutcock, is no other 
than Pluto. The Christians of the Middle Ages by no means misbelieved 
in the existence of the heathen deities ; they only considered them as 



CANTO V. 309 

devils ; ^ and Plotcock, so far from implying anything fabulous, was a 
synonyme of the grand enemy of mankind. ' Yet all thir warnings, and 
uncouth tidings, nor no good counsel, might stop the king, at this 
present, from his vain purpose, and wicked enterprize, but hasted him 
fast to Edinburgh, and there to make his provision and furnishing, in 
having forth of his army against the day appointed, that they should 
meet in the Burrow-muir of Edinburgh : That is to say, seven cannons 
that he had forth of the castle of Edinburgh, which were called the 
Seven Sisters, casten by Robert Borthwick, the master-gunner, with 
other small artillery, bullet, powder, and all manner of order, as the 
master-gunner could devise. 

" ' In this mean time, when they were taking forth their artillery, and 
the king being in the Abbey for the time, there was a cry heard at the 
Market-cross of Edinburgh, at the hour of midnight, i)roclaiming as it 
had been a summons, which was named and called by the proclaimer 
thereof, The Summons of Plotcock ; which desired all men to compear, 
both Earl and Lord, and Baron, and all honest gentlemen within the 
town (every man specified by his own name) to compear, within the 
space of forty days, before his master, where it should happen him to 
appoint, and be for the time, under the pain of disobedience. But 
whether this summons was proclaimed by vain persons, night-walkers, 
or drunken men, for their pastime, or if it was a spirit, 1 cannot tell 
trulv; but it was shown to me, that an indweller of the town, Mr. Rich- 
ard Lawson, being evil-disposed, ganging in his gallery-stair foreanent 
the cross, hearing this voice proclaiming this summons, thought marvel 
what it should be, cried on his servant to bring him his purse ; and 
when he had brought him it, he took out a crown, and cast over the 
stair, saying, I appeal from that summons, judgment, and sentence 
thereof, and takes me all whole in the mercy of God, and Christ Jesus 
his son. Verily the author of this, that caused me write the manner of 
the summons, was a landed gentleman, who was at that time twenty 
years of age, and was in the town the time of the said sunnnons ; and 
thereafter, when the field was stricken, he swore to me, there was no 
man that escaped that was called in this summons, but that one man- 
alone which made his protestation, and appealed from the said sum- 
mons ; but all the lave were perished in the field with the king.' " 

746. Pride. The MS. has "fraud ; " and just below : 

" Ere twenty days are pass'd and gone, 
Before the mighty Monarch's throne, 
I cite you to appear." 

756. Forbes. A dissyllable, as in iv. ind. 132 above. 

757. Style. Name, title. 

' " See, on this curious subject, the Essay on Fairies, in the Border Minstrelsy., 
vol. ii. under the fourth head ; also Jackson on Unbelief, p. 173. Chaucer calls Pluto 
the ' King of Faerie ; ' and Dunbar names him, ' Pluto, that elnch incubus.' If he was 
not actually the devil, he must be considered as the ' prince of the power of the air.' 
The most remarkable instance of these surviving classical superstitions is that of the 
Germans, concerning the Hill of Venus, into which she attempts to entice all gallant 
knights, and detains them there in a sort of Fools' Paradise." 



3IO NOTES. 

765. The selfsame, etc. The MS. has " In thundering tone the voice 
did say." 

769.' Appealing 7ne. Making my appeal. 

772. Parted. Departed. See on i. 20 above. 

779. Passed. Went away. 

793. Like Liiidesay. Cf. iv. 184 aJDOve. 

830. He almost loathed. Which he ahnost loathed, etc. See on 200 
above. 

836. And lofty Law. The MS. has " conic " for lofty. See on iv. 623 
above. 

838. A venerable pile. " The convent alluded to is a foundation of 
Cistercian nuns near North Berwick, of which there are still some re- 
mains. It was founded by Duncan, Earl of Fife, in 1216" (Scott). 

840. The lofty Bass. The Bass Rock, a precipitous rocky island, some 
four hundred feet liigh, about two miles from the shore. 

For the Lambie isle (a small island near by) the MS. has " the Lamb's 
green isle." 

844. Rest. That is, to rest. 

871. Cheer thee. Comfort thyself. Cf. Shakespeare, A. Y. L. ii. 6. 5 : 
" cheer thyself a little." 

894. 0)1. For the use with exclaim, cf . Shakespeare, V. and A. 930 : 
" exclaims on Death," etc. 

899. With candle, bell, and book. " In the solemn form of excommuni- 
cation used in the Romish Church, the bell was tolled, the book of offices 
for the purpose used, and three candles extinguished, with certain cere- 
monies " (Nares). Cf. King John, iii. 3. 12: "Bell, book, and candle 
shall not drive me back," etc. 

908. Composed. Smoothed, arranged. 

914. Forth of. Forth from; as in Shakespeare, Tempest, v. i. 160: 
"thrust forth "of Milan," etc. Scott says here: "This relates to the 
catastrophe of a real Robert de Marmion, jn the reign of King Stephen, 
whom William of Newbury describes with some attributes of my ficti- 
tious hero. * Homo bellicosns, ferocia et astncia fere nnllo suo tempore 
i}?ipar' This baron, having expelled the monks from the church of 
Coventry, was not long of experiencing the divine judgment, as the 
same m.onks, no doubt, termed his disaster. Having waged a feudal 
war with the Earl of Chester, Marmion's horse fell, as he charged in 
the van of his troop, against a body of the Earl's followers : the rider's 
thigh being broken by the fall, his head was cut off by a common foot- 
soldier, ere he could receive any succor. The whole story is told by 
William of Newbury." 

924. As me. The' grammar is sacrificed to the rhyme. 

926. Judith. See the apocryphal book of Judith : and for Jael and 
Deborah below, Jtidges, iv. 

931. Saint Anton\ Saint Antony. 

934. By this good light ! A common oath in the olden time. Cf. Tem- 
pest, ii. 2. 147 : " By this good light, this is a very shallow monster ! " 

937. Don. All the early eds. print it " d' on," which was evidently 
suggested by its derivation from do on. 

938. Patience take perforce. " Patience perforce " was a proverbial 



CANTO VI. 311 

expression, used when an evil that could not be remedied was to be 
borne. The full form of it, according to Ray, was " Patience perforce 
is a medicine for a mad dog." Cf. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 3. 3 : 

" Patience perforce : helplesse what may it boot 
To frett for anger, or for griefe to mone ? " 

947. In that inviolable doj7ie. This line, accidentally omitted in the 
early eds., was restored to the text from the MS. by Lockhart. 

For another reference to the ancient right of sanctuary, see quotation 
in note on ii. 233 above. 

957. One victini. That is, Constance. 

9S2. Studded gates. Cf. v. ind. 49 above. 

looi. Etall and Wark. Border castles in Northumberland, both now 
in ruins. For Ford, see on i. 192 above. 

1017. Mill field Plain. Opposite Flodden Hill, on the other side of 
the Till. 

102 1. Wooler. A town on the slope of the Cheviot Hills. 

1031. Wot. Know; the present tense of the old ivit (A. S. witan). 

1032. Bated of Cf. Dryden, Ovid : "Abate thy speed and I will bate 
of mine." The transitive bate is more common. 



INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH. 

Mertoun House, where this poetical epistle was written, was the 
seat of Hugh Scott, Esq., of Harden, in a beautiful situation on the 
Tweed, about two miles below Dryburgh Abbey. See also on 95 below. 

Richa7-d Heber (1773-1833), half-brother of Bishop Heber, was an 
eminent classical scholar and " bibliomaniac." His library of nearly 
150,000 volumes cost him about ;^iSo,ooo, or nearly $900,000. He was 
for some years member of Parliament for Oxford University. He be- 
came acquainted with Scott while on a visit to Edinburgh, and was 
afterwards one of his most intimate friends. 

5. The fittest time, etc. The ist ed. has "Fit time for festival and 
cheer." 

6. The savage Dane, etc. " The lol of the heathen Danes (a word 
still applied to Christmas in Scotland) was solemnized with great fes- 
tivity. The humor of the Danes at table displayed itself in pelting 
each other with bones : and Torfasus tells a long and curious story, in 
the history of Hrolfe Kraka, of one Hottus, an inmate of the court of 
Denmark, who was so generally assailed with these missiles, that he con- 
structed, out of the bones with which he was overwhelmed, a very re- 
spectable entrenchment, against those who continued the raillery. The 
dances of the Northern warriors round the great fires of pine-trees are 
commemorated by Olaus Magnus, who says, .they danced with such 
fury, holding each other by the hands, that if the grasp of any failed, he 
was pitched into the fire with the velocity of a sling. The sufferer, on 
such occasions, was instantly plucked out, and obliged to quaff off 



312 NOTES. 

a certain measure of ale, as a penalty for ' spoiling the king's fire ' " 
(Scott). 

17. Scalds. The Scandinavian minstrels. 

23. Odin. The chief of the Nurthern gods (from whose name, also 
spelled Woden, our Wednesday is derived), represented as feasting with 
his chosen heroes in Valhalla, or his great hall. 

31. On Christmas eve, tXc. Scott says: "In Roman Catholic coun- 
tries, mass is never said at night, except on Christmas eve. Each of 
the frolics with which that holiday used to be celebrated, might admit 
of a long and curious note ; but I shall content myself with .the follow- 
ing description of Christmas, and his attributes, as personified in one 
of Ben Jonson's Masques for the Court : 

" ' Entei' Christmas, %vith two or three of the Gttard. He is attired in 
round hose, long stockings, a close doublet, a high-crowned hat, with a 
brooch, a long thin beard, a truncheon, little ruffs, white shoes, his 
scarfs and garters tied cross, and his drum beaten before him. — The 
names of his children, with their attires : Miss-Ride, in a velvet cap, with 
a sprig, a short cloak, great yellow ruff, like a reveller ; his torchbearer 
bearing a rope, a cheese, and a basket ; — Carroll, a long tawny coat, 
with a red cap, and a flute at his girdle ; his torchbearer carrying a 
song-book open; — Minc'd-pie, like a fine cook's wife, drest neat, her 
man carrying a pie, dish, and spoons ; — Gamboll, like a tumbler, with 
a hoop and bells ; his torchbearer arm'd with cole-staff, and blinding 
cloth ; — Post and Pair, with a pair-royal of aces in his hat, his garment 
all done over with pairs and purs ; "his squire carrying a box, cards, and 
counters ; — Nciv-Year' s Gift, in a blue coat, serving-man like ; with an 
orange, and a sprig of rosemary gilt on his head ; his hat full of brooches, 
with a collar of gingerbread ; his torchbearer carrying a march-pain, with 
a bottle of wine on either arm; — Mnmming, in a masquing pied suit, 
with a visor ; his torchbearer carrying the box, and ringing it ; — JVassal, 
like a neat sempster and songster; her page bearing a brown bowl, 
drest with ribbons, and rosemary, before her ; — Offering, in a short 
gown, with a ]Dorter's staff in his hand; a wyth borne before him, and 
a bason, by his torchbearer; — Baby Cocke, drest like a boy, in a fine 
long coat, biggin, bib, muckender, and a little dagger ; his usher bearing 
a great cake, with a bean and a pease.' " 

33. Stoled. Wearing the stole, or ecclesiastical scarf. 

34. Sheen. Shining, bright-colored. See on v. 215 above. 

45. Post a7id pair. An old game at cards. See the personification 
of it by Ben Jonson, quoted in note on 31 above. 

55. N'o mark, etc. A large salt-cellar usually served as this boun- 
dary between the guests of high and low degree ;" hence the expressions 
above the salt and belozv the salt, which occur so often in old writers. Cf . 
Ben Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, ii. 2 : "He never drinks below the salt" 
(that is, to one sitting below it); Hall, Satires, ii. 6: "presum'e to sit 
above the salt," etc. 

56. The histy braivn. The big dish of brawn, or boar's flesh prepared 
in a particular manner. 

60. Green-garbed. That is, in his "hunting-suit of Lincoln green" 
{Lady of the Lake, i. 464). 



CANTO VI. 313 

63. Baiting. The MS. has " hunting ; " and for the next four lines : 

" Then round the merry wassel bowl, 
Garnish'd with ribbons, blitlie did trowl, 
And the large sirloin steam' d on high, 
Plum-porridge, hare, and savoury pie." 

The reading of the first couplet in the ist ed. is : 

" While round the merry wassel bowl, 
Garnished with ribbons, blithe did trowl ; " 

the second being as in the present text. 

69. High tide. Holiday. Cf. King John, iii. i. 86: 

" A wicked day, and not a holy day ! 
What hath this day deserv'd ? What hath it done, 
That it in golden letters should be set 
Among the high tides of the calendar? " 

74. Who lists, etc. " It seems certain that the Mummers of England, 
who (in Northumberland at least) used to go about in disguise to the 
neighboring houses, bearing the then useless ploughshare ; and the 
Gnisards of Scotland, not yet in total disuse, present, in some indis- 
tinct degree, a shadow of the old mysteries, which were the origin of 
the English drama. In Scotland [me ipso teste), we were wont, during 
my boyhood, to take the characters of the apostles, at least of Peter, 
Paul, and Judas Iscariot, which last carried the bag, in which the dole 
of our neighbor's plum-cake was deposited. One played a Champion, 
and recited some traditional rhymes ; another was 

' Alexander, king of Macedon, 
Who conquered all the world but Scotland alone ; 
When he came to Scotland his courage grew cold, 
To see a little nation courageous and bold.' 

These, and many such verses, were repeated, but by rote, and uncon- 
nectedly. There was also occasionally, I believe, a Saint George. In 
all, there was a confused resemblance of the ancient mj-steries, in which 
the characters of Scripture, the Nine Worthies, and other popular per- 
sonages, were usually exhibited. It were much to be wished, that the 
Chester Mysteries were published from the MS. in the Museum, with 
the annotations which a diligent imestigator of popular antiquities 
might still supply" (Scott). 

The 'Chester Mysteries, edited by Markland, were printed for the Rox- 
burghe Club in 18 18. 

78. Dight. Decked, dressed. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. i. 4. 6 : " With rich 
array and costly arras dight," etc. See also on p. 246 above, \vhere it 
is used in the more general sense of prepared. 

92. For course of blood, etc. " ' Blood is warmer than water ' — a prov- 
erb meant to vindicate our family predilections" (Scott). 

95. My great-grandsire, etc. " Mr. Scott of Harden, my kind and 
affectionate friend, and distant relation, has the original of a poetical 
invitation, addressed from his grandfather to my relative, from which 
a few lines in the text are imitated. They are dated, as the epistle in 
the text, from Mertoun-house, the seat of the Harden family. 



314 NOTES. 

With amber beard, and flaxen hair, 
And reverend apostolic air, 
Free of anxiety and care, 
Come hither, Christmas-day, and dine; 
We '11 mix sobriety with wine, 
And easy mirth with thoughts divine. 
We Christians think it holiday, 
On it no sin to feast or play ; 
Others, in spite, may fast and pray- 
No superstition in the use 
Our ancestors made of a goose ; 
Why may not we, as well as they, 
Be innocently blithe that day. 
On goose or pie, on wine or ale. 
And scorn enthusiastic zeal? — 
Pray come, and welcome, or plague rott 
Your friend and landlord, Walter Scott. 
' Mr. Walter Scott, Lessudeti.'' 

" The venerable old gentleman, to whom the lines are addressed, was 
the younger brother of William Scott of Raeburn. Being the cadet of 
a cadet of the Harden family, he had very little to lose ; yet he con- 
trived to lose the small property he had, by engaging in the civil wars 
and intrigues of the house of Stuart. His veneration for the exiled 
family was so great, that he swore he would not shave his beard till 
they were restored : a mark of attachment, which, I suppose, had been 
common during Cromwell's usurpation; for, in Cowley's 'Cutter of 
Coleman Street,' one drunken cavalier upbraicl^^ another, that, when he 
was not able to afford to pay a barber, he affected to 'wear a beard 
for the king.' I sincerely hope this was not absolutely the original 
reason of my ancestor's beard; which, as appears from a portrait in 
the possession of Sir Henry Hay Macdougal, Bart., and another painted 
for the famous Dr. Pitcairn,i was a beard of a most dignified and ven- 
erable appearance" (Scott). 

96. The 1st ed. transposes amber diwd Jiaxen. 

107. In these dear halls, etc. The MS. has : 

" In these fair halls, with merry cheer. 
Is bid farewell the dying year." 

III. The fair dame, etc. The wife of Hugh Scott of Harden, a lady 
of noble German descent. 

120. Ci?fs. Clasps, enfolds. Cf. JiiJig John, v. 2. 34: "Neptune's 
arms, who clippeth thee about," etc. 

126. A7id heard the chimes, etc. The MS. adds: "As boasts old 
Shallow to Sir John." See 2 Henry IV. iii. 2. 228, where Falstaff S2iys : 
" We have heard the chimes at midnight. Master Shallow !" 

131. As AMI Bluff might say, etc. Scott cites the passage from The 
Old Bachelor, ii. 2 : " Flannibal was a pretty fellow, sir — a very pretty 
fellow in his day." 

136. Latian. That is, Latin. 

' " The old gentleman was an intimate of this celebrated genius. By the favor of 
the late Earl of Kellie, descended on the maternal side from Dr. Pitcairn, my father 
became possessed of the portrait in question." 



CAA'TO vr. 315 

139. Li7?ibo. The word originally meant the borders of hell, but came 
to be applied to hell itself, purgatory, and other regions of the spirit 
world. There was also the Litjihiis Fatuoriun, or Fools' Paradise, to 
which Milton refers in P. L. iii. 495 : 

" Into a Limbo large and broad, since call'd 
The Paradise of Fools," etc. 

142. Touch my charter. Interfere with my freedom, or license. 

143. Leyden. "John Leyden, M.U., who had been of great service 
to Sir Walter Scott in the preparation of the Border Afinstrelsy, sailed 
for India in April, 1S03, and died at Java in August. 181 1, before com- 
pleting his 36th year " (Lockhart). Cf. Lord of the Isles, iv. : 

" Scenes sung by him who sings no more ! 
His bright and brief career is o'er, 

And mute his tuneful strains; 
Quench'd is his lamp of varied lore, 
That loved the light of song to pour: 
A distant and a deadly shore 
Has Leyden's cold remains ! " 

144. My cause, etc. The MS. has " With all his many-languaged 
lore." 

146. Alcides' wraith. The apparition of Hercules. 

148. Polydore. Polydorus. See Virgil, j^ii. iii. 19 fol. 

150. Locutus Bos. The ox spake (Latin). 

159. The Spirit^ s Blasted Tree. Scott says : " I am permitted to illus- 
trate this passage by inserting * Ceubren yr Ellyll, or the Spirit's Blasted 
Tree,' a legendary tale, by Mr. George Warrington, who savs of it: 

" ' The event on which this tale is founded is preserved by tradition 
in the family of the Vaughans of Hengwyrt ; nor is it entirelv lost, even 
among the common people, who still point out this oak to the passen- 
ger. The enmity between the two Welsh chieftains, Howel Sele, and 
Owen Glyndowr, was extreme, and marked by vile treachery in the one, 
and ferocious cruelty in the other.^ The story is somewhat changed 
and softened, as more favorable to the characters of the two chiefs, 
and as better answering the purpose of poetry, by admitting the passion 
of pity, and a greater degree of sentiment in the description. Some 
trace of Howel Sele's mansion was to be seen, some few years ago, and 
may perhaps be still visible, in the park of Nannau, now belonging to 
Sir Robert Vaughan. Baronet, in the wild and romantic tracts of Merion- 
ethshire. The abbey mentioned passes under two names, Vaner and 
Cymmer. The former is retained as more generally used.' " 

THE SPIRIT'S BLASTED TREE. 
Ceubren yr Ellyll. 

Through Nannau's Chnce as Howel passed, 

A chief esteemed both brave and kmd. 
Far distant borne, the stag-hound's cry 

Came murmuring on the hollow wind. 

^ The history of their feud may be found in Pennant's Tour in Wales- 



3l6 NOTES. 



Starting, lie bent an eager ear, — 

How should the sounds return again ? 

His hounds lay wearied from the chase, 
And all at home his hunter train. 

Then sudden anger flashed his eye, 
And deep revenge he vowed to take 

On that bold man who dared to force 
His red deer from the forest brake. 

Unhappy chief! would nought avail, 
No signs impress thy heart with fear, 

Thy lady's dark mysterious dream. 
Thy warning from the hoary seer? 

Three ravens gave the note of death, 

As through mid air they winged their way ; 

Then o'er his head in rapid flight. 

They croak, — they scent their destined prey 

Ill-omened bird ! as legends say, 
Who hast the wondrous power to know, 

\yhile health fills high the throbbing veins. 
The fated hour when blood must flow. 

Blinded by rage, alone he passed. 
Nor sought his ready vassals' aid ; 

But what iiis fate lay long unknown, 
For many an anxious year delayed. 

A peasant marked his angry eye. 

He saw him reach the lake's dark bourne, 

He saw him near a blasted oak, 
But never from that hour return. 

Three days passed o'er, no tidings came ; — 
Where should the chief his steps delay? 

With wild alarm the servants ran, 

Yet knew not where to point their way. 

His vassals ranged the mountain's height. 
The covert close, and wide-spread plain ; 

But all in vain their eager search, 
They ne'er must see their lord again. 

Yet fancy, in a thousand shapes, 

Bore to his home the chief once more : 

Some saw him walk the mountain's top, 
Some saw him on the winding shore. 

With wonder fraught the tale went round, 
Amazement chained the hearer's tongue 

Each peasant felt his own sad loss, 
Yet fondly o'er the story hung. 

Oft by the moon's pale shadowy light, 
His aged nurse, and steward gray. 

Would lean to catch the storied sounds. 
Or mark the flitting spirit stray. 

Pale lights on Cader's rocks were seen, 
And midnight voices heard to moan ; 

'T was even said the Blasted Oak, 
Convulsive, heaved a hollow groan : 



CANTO VI. 317 



And to this day the peasant still 
With cautious fear avoids the ground, 

In each wild branch a spectre sees, 
And trembles at each rising sound. 

Ten annual suns had held their course, 
In summer's smile or winter's storm ; 

The lady shed the widowed tear. 
As oft she traced his manly foim. 

Yet still to hope her heart would cling, 
As o'er the mind illusions play, — 

Of travel fond, perhaps her lord 
To distant lands had steered his way. 

'T was now November's cheerless hour. 
Which drencliing rains and clouds deface 

Dreary the mountain track appeared, 
And dull and dank the valley's space. 

Loud o'er the wier the hoarse flood fell, 
And dashed the foamy spray on high ; 

The west wind bent the forest tops. 
And angry frowned the evening sky. 

A stranger passed L'anelltid's waste, 

His dark-gray steed with sweat besprent, 

Which, wearied with the lengthened v.ay. 
Could scarcely gain the hill's ascent. 

The portal reached, — tiie iron bell 
Loud sounded round the outward wall ; 

Quick sprang the warder to the gate. 
To know what meant the clamorous call. 

" Oh ! lead me to your lady soon ; 

Say, — it is my sad lot to tell. 
To clear the fate of that brave knight, 

She long has proved she loved so well." 

Then, as he crossed the spacious hall, 
The menials look surprise and fear ; 

Still o'er his harp old Modred hung, 
And touched the notes for grief's worn ear. 

The lady sat amidst her train ; 

A mellowed sorrow marked her look : 
Then, asking what his mission meant, 

The graceful stranger sighed and spoke : — 

" Oh ! could I spread one ray of hope, 
One moment raise thy soul from woe, 

Gladly my tongue would tell its tale, 
My words at ease unfettered flow ! 

*' Now, lady, give attention due, 

The story claims thy full belief: 
E'en in the worst events of life, 

Suspense removed is some relief. 

" Though worn by care, see Madoc here, 
Great Glyndwr's friend, thy kindred's foe ; 

Ah, let his name no anger raise. 
For now that mighty chief lies low ! 



3iS 



NOTES. 



" E'en from the day, when, chained by fate. 
By wizard's dream, or jiotent spell, 

Lingering from sad Salopia's field, 
Reft of his aid the Percy fell. 

" E'en from that day m.isfortune still, 

As if for violated faith, 
Pursued him with unwearied step, 

Vindictive still for Hotspur's death. 

" Vanquished at length, the Glyndwr fled 
Where winds the Wye her devious flood ; 

To find a casual shelter there, 
In some lone cot or desert wood. 

" Clothed in a shepherd's humble guise. 
He gained by toil his scanty bread ; 

He who had Cambria's sceptre borne, 
And her brave sons to glory led ! 

" To penury extreme and grief 
The chieftain fell a lingering prey ; 

I heard his last few faltering words, 
Such as with pain I now convey : 

" ' To Sele's sad widow bear the tale, 

Nor let our horrid secret rest ; 
Give but his corse to sacred earth, 

Then may my parting soul be blest.' — 

" Dim waxed the eye that fiercely shone, 
And faint the tongue that proudly spoke, 

And weak that arm, still raised to me, 
Which oft had dealt the mortal stroke. 

" How could I then his mandate bear ? 

Or how his last behest obey? 
A rebel deemed, with him I fled : 

With him I shunned the light of day. 

" Proscribed by Henry's hostile rage, 
My country lost, despoiled my land. 

Desperate, I fled my native soil. 
And fought on Syria's distant strand. 

" Oh ! had thy long-lamented lord 
The holy cross and banner viewed, 

Died in the sacred cause ! who fell 
Sad victim of a private feud ! 

" Led, by the ardor of the chase, 
Far distant from his own domain. 

From where Garthmadan spreads her shades, 
The Glyndwr sought the opening plain. 

" With head aloft, and antlers wide, 
A red buck roused then crossed in view ; 

Stung with the sight, and wild with rage, 
Swift from the wood fierce Howel flew. 

" With bitter taunt, and keen reproach, 
He, all impetuous, poured his rage ; 

Reviled the chief as weak in arms, 
And bade him loud the battle wage. 



CANTO VI. 319 

" Glyndwr for once restrained his sword, 

And, still averse, the fight delays ; 
But softened words, like oil to fire, 

Made anger more intensely blaze. 

" They fought ; and doubtful long the fray I 

The Glyndwr gave the fatal wound ! — 
Still mournful must my tale proceed, 

And its last act all dreadful sound. 

" How could we hope for wished retreat, 

His eager vassals ranging wide ? 
His bloodhounds' keen sagacious scent, 

O'er many a trackless mountain tried? 

" I marked a broad and blasted oak. 

Scorched by the lightning's livid glare ; 
Hollow its stem from branch to root. 

And all its shrivelled arms were bare. 

" Be this, I cried, his proper grave ! — 

(The thought in me was deadly sin.) 
Aloft we raised the hapless chief. 

And dropped his bleeding corpse within." — 

A shriek from all the damsels burst 

That pierced the vaulted roofs below ; 
While horror-struck the lady stood, 

A living form of sculptured woe. 

With stupid stare, and vacant gaze, 

Full on his face her eyes were cast, 
Absorbed ! — she lost her present grief 

And faintly thought of things long past. 

Like wild-fire o'er a mossy heath, 

The rumor through the hamlet ran ; 
The peasants crowd at morning dawn. 

To hear the tale, — behold the man. 

He led them near the Blasted Oak, 
Then, conscious, from the scene withdrew: 

The peasants work with trembling haste, 
And lay the whitened bones to view ! — 

Back they recoiled ! — the right hand still. 

Contracted, grasped a rusty sword, 
Which erst in many a battle gleamed, 

And proudly decked their slaughtered lord. 

They bore the corse to Vener's shrine, 

With holy rites and prayers addressed ; 
Nine white-robed monks the last dirge sang, 

And gave the angry spirit rest. 

160. The Highlander, etc. '* The Daoine shi\ or Men of Peace, of the 
Scottish Highlanders, rather resemble the Scandinavian Duer_^ar than 
the English ^Fairies. Notwithstanding their name, they arc, if not ab- 
solutely malevolent, at least peevish, discontented, and apt to do mis- 
chief on slight provocation. The belief of their existence is deeply 



320 NOTES. 

impressed on the Highlanders, who think they are particularly offended 
with mortals who talk of them, who wear their favorite color green, 
or in any respect interfere with their affairs. This is particularly to be 
avoided on Friday, when, whether as dedicated to Venus, with whom, 
in Germany, this subterraneous people are held nearly connected, or 
for a more solemn reason, they are more active, and possessed of greater 
power. Some curious particulars concerning the popular superstitions 
of the Highlanders, may be found in Dr. Graham's Ficturesqtie Sketches 
of Perthshire " (Scott). See also Lady of the Lake, p. 232, note on 298. 

168. Didst e'er, dear Heber, etc. Lockhart states that this paragraph 
is interpolated on the blank page of the MS. 

Scott has the following note here: "The journal of the friend, to 
whom the Fourth Canto of the Poem is inscribed, furnished me with 
the following account of a striking superstition: 

"' Passed the pretty little village of Franchemont (near Spaw), with 
the romantic ruins of the old castle of the Counts of that name. The 
road leads through many delightful vales, on a rising ground; at the ex- 
tremity of one of them stands the ancient castle, now the subject of 
many superstitious legends. It is firmly believed by the neighboring 
peasantry, that the last Baron of Franchemont deposited, in one of the 
vaults of the castle, a ponderous chest, containing an immense treasure 
in gold and silver, which, by some magic spell, was intrusted to the 
care of the Devil, who is constantly found sitting on the chest in the 
shape of a huntsman. Any one adventurous enough to touch the chest 
is instantly seized with the palsy. Upon one occasion, a priest of noted 
piety was brought to the vault : he used all the arts of exorcism to per- 
suade his infernal majesty to vacate his seat, but in vain; the huntsman 
remained immovable. At last, moved by the earnestness of the priest, 
he told him that he would agree to resign the chest, if the exorciser 
would sign his name with blood. But the priest understood his mean- 
ing, and refused, as by that act he would have delivered over his soul 
to the Devil. Yet if anybody can discover the mystic words used by 
the person who deposited the treasure, and pronounce them, the fiend 
must instantly decamp. I had many stories of a similar nature from a 
peasant, who had himself seen the Devil, in the shape of a great cat.' " 

170. Which, like, etc. The MS. reads: 

" Which, high in air, like eagle's nest. 
Hang from the dizzy mountain's breast." 

179. Hanger. A short broadsword. 

195. Amain, See on i. ind. 91 above. 

199. Adept. Originally, an alchemist who had c'^/<7/;^<?^ (as the word 
means by its derivation) the philosopher's stone, etc., but afterwards 
applied to one who had become an expert in other arts, — as here the 
art of magic. 

205. Pitscottie. Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, born about 1500, whose 
Chronicles of Scotland Scott quotes so often in his notes. 

207. The messenger from heaven. See on iv. 27S above. 

209. The infernal suuimoning. See on v. 735 above. 

210-213. May pass, etc. These four lines are not in the 1st ed. 



CANTO vr. 321 

For the Monk of Durham'' s tale, etc., see iii. 324 fol. above. 

John de Forditn was a Scottish historian of the latter part of the 14th 
century. 

220. Cripple. Miserly, grasping. Cf. Barrow, Sermons : " the grip- 
pie wretch who will bestow nothing on his poor brother," etc. 

225. The magpie. This bird, whether wild or tame, has a propensity 
to seize and carry off bright or glittering articles. 



CANTO SIXTH. 

8. Terouenne, or TheroiUDinc, is a small town (formerly a fortress) in 
France, about thirty miles southeast of Calais. 

9. Leaguer. Camp. Cf. All ^s IVell, iii. 6. 27 : " the leaguer of the 
adversaries," etc. 

34. The Bloody Heart. Cf. Lady of the Lake, ii. 200, where Ellen 
Douglas is called *' The Lady of the Bleeding Heart ; " and for the 
origin of the cognizance, sec our ed. p. 199. Field ^wd chief zxo. heraldic 
terms, the former meaning the general surface of the shield or es- 
cutcheon, the latter the upper part of it. The mullet in heraldry is a 
star-shaped device. 

37. The turret, etc. The MS. reads: 

" The tower coiitain'd a narrow stair. 
And gave an open access where," etc. 

45. Bartizan. A small overhanging turret. Vantage-coign = Shake- 
speare's " coign of vantage " [Macbeth, i. 6. 7), or advantageous corner. 

54. Sleepy. See on v. ind. 39 above. For an instance of the word in 
prose, see on i. 404 above. 

58. For they luere. Because they were. See on iv. 171 above. 

69. Adoiun. A poetical word. Cf. Lady of the Lake, i. 46 : " A mo- 
ment gazed adown the dale," etc. 

78. Fretted. Adorned with raised work. 

89. To meet, etc. The MS. reads : 

" To meet a form so fair, and dress'd 
In antique robes, witli cross on breast." 

99. So witching fair. The MS. has "so sad and fair." 
no. Hilda fair. Scott here quotes Charlton's Hist, of IVhitdy : "I 
shall only produce one instance more of the great veneration paid to 
Lady Hilda, which still prevails even in these our days ; and that is, the 
constant opinion, that she rendered, and still renders, herself visible, 
on some occasions, in the Abbey of Streanshalh, or Whitby, where she so 
long resided. At a particular time of the year (namely, in the summer 
months), at ten or eleven in the forenoon, the sunbeams fall in the in- 
side of the northern part of the choir ; and 't is then that the spectators, 
who stand on the west side of Whitby churchyard, so as just to see the 
most northerly part of the ahhty past the north end of Whitbv church, 

21 



322 NOTES. 

imagine they perceive, in one of the highest windows there, the resem- 
blance of a woman, arrayed in a shroud. Though we are certain this 
is only a reflection caused by the splendor of the sunbeams, yet fame 
reports it, and it is constantly believed among the vulgar, to be an 
appearance of Lady Hilda in her shroud, or rather in a glorified state ; 
before which, I make no doubt, the Papists, even in these our days, offer 
up their prayers with as much zeal and devotion as before any other 
image of their most glorified saint." 

121. Brook. This seems to be a pet word with Scott. Note how 
often it has occurred in the present poem. 

129. Of such a steniy etc. The MS. reads : 

" Of such a stem, or branch { ^'^g"^'^ } weak. 
He ne'er shall bend me, though he break." 

131. What makes, tie. What has it to do here? Cf. Shakespeare, 
A. V. L. iii. 2. 234 : " What makes he here ? " It was a very common 
phrase, and is played upon more than once in Shakespeare. See L. L. L. 
iv. 3. 190 fob, J^ich. III. i. 3. 164 fob, etc. 

137. Blood-gotits. Drops of blood. Cf. Macbeth, ii. i. 46: "And on 
thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood," etc. 

166. Tender word. The MS. has " short caress." 

174. Within, etc. The MS. has "Where an old beadsman held my 
head." A beadsman was a man hired by another to pray for him. Cf. 
Henry V. iv. i. 315 : 

" Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay 
Who twice a day their wither'd hands hold up 
Toward heaven, to pardon blood." 

180. From the degraded, etc. The MS. has 

" The bauish'd traitor's \\^^}^\ bed." 

218. Sloicgh. The cast skin of a serpent. 
229. Dark looks, etc. Cf. iii. 84 fol. above. 
233. A word, etc. See iii. 217 above. 
246. Three inches, etc. Cf. Tempest, ii. i. 283. 

" Whom I, with this obedient steel, three inches of it, 
Can lay to bed forever." 

248. My hand, etc. The MS. reads : 

" But thought of Austin staid my hand, 
And in the sheath I plunged the brand ; 

I left him there alone. — 
O good old man I even from the grave, 
Thy spirit could De Wilton save." 

261. Featly. Adroitly. Cf. Winter's Tale, iv. 4. 176: "She dances 
featly," etc. 

271. Otter Imrne. See the ballad of "The Battle of Otterbourne ' in 
the Border Minstrelsy. 



CANTO VI. 323 

280. /;/ Twisel glen. " Where James encamped before taking post 
on Flodden" (Scott). The MS. has "on Flodden plain." 

281. I UKitch niy armor, etc. This the candidate for knighthood had 
to do. 

307. Red Earl Gilbert. Ci. 128 above. 

323. Vou could not, etc. The MS. has " You might not by their shine 
descry." 

327. A bishop. " The well-known Gawain Douglas, Bishop of Dun- 
keld, son of Archibald Bell-the-Cat, Earl of Angus. He was author of 
a Scottish metrical version of the ^neid, and of many other poetical 
pieces of great merit. He had not at this period attained the mitre " 
(Scott). 

329. Shccti. See on v. 215 above. The rochet is a short surplice 
worn by bishops. 

337. Doffed his furred goiijn, etc. That is, these having been doffed; 
the " absolute " construction. 

341. The huge and s7oeeping brand, etc. " iVngus had strength and 
personal activity corresponding to his courage. Spens of Kilspindie, a 
favorite of James IV., having spoken of him lightly, the earl met him 
while hawking, and, compelling him to single combat, at one blow cut 
asunder his thigh-bone, and killed him on the spot. But ere he could 
obtain James's pardon for this slaughter, Angus was obliged to yield 
his castle of Hermitage, in exchange for that of Bothwell, which was 
some diminution to the family greatness. The sword with which he 
struck so remarkable a blow was presented by his descendant, James, 
Earl of Morton, afterwards Regent of Scotland, to Lord Lindesay of 
the Byres, when he defied Bothwell to single combat on Carberry-hill. 
See Introduction to The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border''^ (Scott). 

342, Wont. See on ii. 5S7 above. 
352. The spurs. See on i. 95 above. 

358. Had found tcntrue. That is, in his combat with Marmion. Cf. 
i. 175 fol. and v. 604 above. 

359. Struck him loith his blade. The dubbing which was part of the 
ceremony. 

379. Foul fall him. May it foully befall him, may evil befall him. 
Cf. Shakespeare, V. and A. 472: " Fair fall the wit that can so well 
defend her ! " where loit is the object oifall. 

390. The train, etc. The MS. has " The train the portal arch pass'd 
through." 

392. Plain. Complain. See on iii. 1S8 above. 

396. Part. Depart. See on i. 20 above. 

403. Unmeet, etc. The MS. has " Unmeet they be to harbor here." 

428. Lord Angus. The MS. has "False Douglas." 

431. Fierce he broke forth, t\.c. Scott says here : "This ebullition of 
violence in the potent'Earl of Angus is not without its examples in the 
real history of the house of Douglas, whose chieftains possessed the 
ferocity with the heroic virtues of a savage state. The most curious 
instance occurred in tlie case of Maclellan, tutor of Bonibv, who, having 
refused to acknowledc^e the pre-eminence claimed by Douglas over the 
gentlemen and Barons of Galloway, was seized and imprisoned bv the 



324 NOTES. 

earl, in his castle of the Thrieve, on the borders of Kirkcudbright-shire. 
Sir Patrick Gray, commander of King James the Second's guard, was 
uncle to the tutor of Bomby, and obtained from the king 'a sweet letter 
of supplication,' praying the earl to deliver his prisoner into Gray's 
hand. When Sir Patrick arrived at the castle, he was received with 
all the honor due to a favorite servant of the king's household ; but 
wdrile he was at dinner, the earl, who suspected his errand, caused his 
prisoner to be led forth and beheaded. After dinner, Sir Patrick pre- 
sented the king's letter to the earl, who received it with great affectation 
of reverence ; ' and took him by the hand, and led him forth to the 
green, where the gentleman was lying dead, and showed him the man- 
ner, and said, " Sir Patrick, you are come a little too late ; yonder is your 
sister's son lying, but he wants the head : take his body, and do with 
it what you will." Sir Patrick answered again with a sore heart, and 
said, " My lord, if ye have taken from him his head, dispone upon the 
body as ye please : " and with that called for his horse, and leaped 
thereon ; and when he was on horseback, he said to the earl on this 
manner, "My lord, if I live, you shall be rewarded for your labors, that 
you have used at this time, according to your demerits." At this say- 
ing the earl was highly offended, and cried for horse. Sir Patrick, seeing 
the earl's fury, spurred his horse, but he was chased near Edinburgh 
ere they left hi;n : and had it not been his lead horse was so tried and 
good, he had been taken ' (Pitscottie's History)." 

435. Saint Bride. Saint Bridget of Ireland, who became a popular 
saint in England and Scotland, v.'here she was better known by the 
corrupted or abbreviated name of Saint Bride. A number of churches 
were dedicated to her ; that in Fleet Street, London, being a familiar 
example. 

456. Saint Jtide to speed ! Saint Jude be my protection! See on iii. 
429 above. 

457. Did ever knight so foul a deed ! " Lest the reader should partake 
of the earl's astonishment, and consider the crime as inconsistent with 
the manners of the period, I have to remind him of the numerous for- 
geries (partly executed by a female assistant) devised by Robert of 
Artois, to forward his suit against the Countess Matilda ; which, being 
detected, occasioned his flight into England, and proved the remote 
cause of Edward the Third's memorable wars in France. John Hard- 
ing, also, was expressly hired by Edward IV. to forge such documents 
as might appear to establish the claim of fealty asserted over Scotland 
by the English monarchs" (Scott). 

458. It liked me. It pleased me. For this old impersonal use, cf. 
Henry VIII. v. 3. 148 : "may it like your grace," etc. It is also used 
personally ; as in Hamlet., v. 2. 276 : " This likes me well." 

460. Saint Bothan. Cf. i. 306 above. The MS. has here : 

" Thanks to Saint Bothan, son of mine 
Could never pen a written line, 
So swear I, and I swear it still, 
Let brother Gawain fret his fill." 

474. The heights of Stanrig-moor. Southward from Tantallon. 



CANTO VI. 325 

479. Good sooth. See on i. 443 above. 

4S1. Spell. Make out, understand. 

4S8. As. As if. See on i. 447 above. 

49S. Prompt in. The earliest eds. have " Prompt to." 

500. The Master. " His eldest son, the Master of Angus " (Scott). 

503. Horse-courser. One that runs horses or keeps race-horses. 

504. Bear'' st a brain. Hast a good memory. Qi. Romeo and Juliet, 
\. 3. 29: " Nay, I do bear a brain;" and The Country Captain, 1649 '• 
"you beare a braine and memory." 

512. Cots7uold. See on i. 174 above. 

520. As wojzt. As I was wont to do. See on ii. 587 above. 

526. ^Txvas therefore. 'Twas for this, 'twas on this account. 

540. LennePs convent. " A Cistercian house of religion, now almost 
entirely demolished. It is situated near Coldstream, almost opposite 
to Cornhill, and consequently very near to Flodden Field" (Scott). 

545. A reverend pilgrim. Patrick Brydone, Esq., who then occupied 
Lennel House. 

568. Traversed. The intransitive use of the verb is rare. 

573. By Twiscl Bridge. " On the evening previous to the memora- 
ble battle of Flodden, Surrey's head-quarters were at Barmore-wood, 
and King James held an inaccessible position on the ridge of Flodden- 
hill, one of the last and lowest eminences detached from the ridge of 
Cheviot. The Till, a deep and slow river, winded between the armies. 
On the morning of the 9th September, 1513, Surrey marched in a north- 
westerly direction, and crossed the Till, with his van and artillery, at 
Twisel-bridge, nigh where that river joins the Tweed, his rear-guard 
column passing about a mile higher, by a ford. This movement had 
the double effect of placing his army between King James and his sup- 
plies from Scotland, and of striking the Scottish monarch with surprise, 
as he seems to have relied on the depth of the river in his front. But 
as the passage, both over the bridge and through the ford, was difficult 
and slow, it seems possible that the English might have been attacked 
to great advantage while struggling with these natural obstacles. I know 
not if we are to impute James's forbearance to want of military skill, or 
to the romantic declaration which Pitscottie puts in his mouth, 'that 
he was determined to have his enemies before him on a plain field,' 
and therefore would suffer no interruption to be given, even by artillery, 
to their passing the river. 

"The ancient bridge of Twisel, by which the English crossed the Till, 
is still standing beneath Twisel Castle, a splendid pile of Gothic archi- 
tecture, as now rebuilt by Sir Francis Blake, Bart., whose extensive 
plantations have so much improved the country around. The glen is 
romantic and delightful, with steep banks on each side, covered with 
copse, particularly with hawthorn. Beneath a tall rock, near the bridge, 
is a plentiful fountain, called St. Helen's Well" (Scott). 

574. Haughty. Used in the obsolete sense of lofty, august. Cf. haught 
in Spenser, F. Q. i. 6. 29: " his courage haught," etc. 

587. Sweeping. The 1st ed. has " bending." 

608. Vails. Lowers ; here = keeps idle. See on iii. 234 above. The 
early eds. have vails, which was probably Scott's word ; but Lockhart's 



326 



NOTES. 



and all the recent ones print " Vails," as if it were a contraction of 
avails. 

6ii. Wight. See on ii. ind. 113 above. 

613. Saint Andreiv. The patron saint of Scotland. 

616. Had been Bannockbourne. That is, a victory for the Scots. 

621. Ere vet, etc. The MS. has "Ere first they met Lord Marmion's 
eye." 

626. Hap what hap. Happen what may. 

627. Basnet. A light helmet. A prentice (not to be printed " 'pren- 
tice ") cap is used contemptuously : I '11 stake my soldier's head-gear to 
that of any young workingman. 

631. And sweep, etc. The MS. has " And all go sweeping by." 

632. Bravely. Gayly. See on i. 140 above. 
635 Standards. The ist ed. has "banners." 

636. Thou ^dst best. Thou hadst best ; not " wouklst best," as some 
grammar-mongers who know nothing of the history of the language tell 
us we should write. 

644. Lines. Note the rhyme withy<7z«j. 

652. The pheasant in the falcon^ s claw. The pheasant being, etc. The 
meaning is : when the falcon has the pheasant in his grasp, he will not 
give her up to please a jackdaw — a bird he despises. The daw was 
reckoned a stupid bird, and was a common metaphor for a fool. 

657. Leafs eddies. The MS. has '•' Leafs tributes." The Leat is a 
very small branch of the Tweed. 

675. Breathed his steed. Allowed him to take breath; as in 2 ILenry 
IV. i. I. 38 : " That stopp'd by me to breathe his bloodied horse." 

681. Hence might they see, etc. " The reader cannot here expect a 
full account of the battle of Flodden ; but, so far as is necessary to 
understand the following pages, I beg to remind him, that, when the 
English army, by their skilful countermarch, were fairly placed between 
King James and his own country, the Scottish monarch resolved to 
fight, and, setting fire to his tents, descended from the ridge of Flodden 
to secure the neighboring eminence of Brankstone, on which that village 
is built. Thus the two armies met, almost without seeing each other, 
according to the old poem of ' Flodden Field : ' 

' The English line stretched east and west, 

And southward were their faces set ; 

The Scottish northward proudly prest, 

And manfully their foes they met.' 

The English army advanced in four divisions. On the right, which 
first engaged, were the sons of Earl Surrey, namely, Thomas Howard, 
the admiral of England, and Sir Edmund, the knight marshal of the 
army. Their divisions were separated from each other ; but, at the 
request of Sir Edmund, his brother's battalion was drawn very near 
to his own. The centre was commanded by Surrey in person ; the left 
wing by Sir Edward Stanley, with the men of Lancashire, and of the 
palatinate of Chester. Lord Dacre, with a large body of horse, formed 
a reserve. When the smoke, which the wind had driven between the 
armies, was somewhat dispersed, they perceived the Scots, who had 



CANTO VI. 327 

moved down the hill in a similar order of battle, and in deep silence. i 
The Earls of Huntley and of Home commanded their left wing, and 
charged Sir Edmund Howard with such success as entirely to defeat 
his part of the English left wing. The admiral, however, stood firm, 
and Dacre advancing to his support with the reserve of cavalry, proba- 
bly between the interval of the divisions commanded by the brother 
Howards, appears to have kept the victors in effectual check. Home's 
men, chiefly Borderers, began to pillage the baggage of both armies ; 
and their leader is branded, by the Scotch historians, with negligence 
or treachery. On the other hand, Huntley, on whom they bestow many 
encomiums, is said, by the English historians, to have left the field after 
the first charge. Meanwhile the admiral, whose flank these chiefs ought 
to have attacked, availed himself of their inactivity, and pushed forward 
against another large division of the Scottish army in his front, headed 
by the Earls of Crawford and Montrose, both of whom were slain, and 
their forces routed. On the left, the success of the English was yet 
more decisive ; for the Scottish right wing, consisting of undisciplined 
Highlanders, commanded by Lennox and Argyle, was unable to sustain 
the charge of Sir Edward Stanley, and especially the severe execution 
of the Lancashire archers. The king and Surrey, who commanded the 
respective centres of their armies, were meanwhile engaged in close 
and dubious conflict. James, surrounded by the flower of his kingdom, 
and impatient of the galling discharge of arrows, supported also by his 
reserve under Bothwell, charged with such fury, that the standard of 
Surrey was in danger. At that critical moment, Stanley, who had 
routed the left wing of the Scottish, pursued his career of victory, and 
arrived on the right flank, and in the rear of James's division, which, 
throwing itself into a circle, disputed the battle till night came on. 
Surrey then drew back his forces : for the Scottish centre not having 
been iDroken, and their left wing being victorious, he yet doubted the 
event of the field. The Scottish army, however, felt their loss, and 
abandoned the field of battle in disorder, before dawn. They lost, per- 
haps, from eight to ten thousand men, but that included the very prime 
of their nobility, gentry, and even clergy. Scarce a family of eminence 
but has an ancestor killed at Flodden ; and there is no province in 
Scotland, even at this day, where the battle is mentioned without a 
sensation of terror and sorrow. The English lost also a great number 
of men, perhaps within one third of the vanquished, but they were of 
inferior note. — See the only distinct detail of the field of Flodden in 
Pinkerton's History, Book xi."; all former accounts being full of blunder 
and inconsistency. 

" The spot, from which Clara views the battle, must be supposed to 
have been on a hillock commanding the rear of the English right wing, 
which was defeated, and in which conflict Marmion is supposed to have 
fallen" (Scott). 

683. Their marshalled lines, tic. The MS. has "Their linos were 
form'd, stretch'd east and west." 

' " Lesquelz Ecossois descendirent la d" viontaigne en hotine ordre, en la )nafiiere 
que inarchent les Allemans, sans parler, ne/aire aucun bruit" (Gazette of the Battle, 
Pi"l<prtnn's History, Apnendix, vol. ii. p. 456). 



328 NOTES. 

700. Amain. See on i. ind. 91 above. The word is repeated too 
soon in 707 below. 

705. And would not. Tlie MS. reads : 

" Nor mark'd the lady's deep despair, 
Nor heeded discontented look." 

715. F7'onts their right. The ist ed. reads "has the right;" but a 
note at the end of the volume states that it should ho. fronts their right. 

716. Vaward Vanguard. Cf. Lady of the Lake, vi. 414: "Their 
vaward scouts no tidings bring ; " and see our ed. p. 262. 

717. Brian TnnstalL "Sir Brian Tunstall, called in the romantic 
language of the time, Tunstall the Undefiled, was one of the few Eng- 
lishmen of rank slain at Flodden. He figures in the ancient English 
poem, to which I may safely refer my reader; as an edition, with full 
explanatory notes, has been published by my friend Mr. Henry Weber. 
Tunstall perhaps derived his epithet of undefiled ixo\\\ bis white armor 
and banner, the latter bearing a white cock about to crovv', as well as 
from his unstained lovalty and knightly faith. His place of residence 
was Thurland Castle "^ (Scott). 

726. Beneath De Burg, etc. The MS. has " Beneath thy seneschal, 
Fitz-Hugh." 

729. Parting. Departing. See on i. 20 above. 

743. Gilded spurs. See on i. 95 above. 

744. Bejit. Slope, declivity. See on iv. 519 above. 

746. Ajid sudden, etc. Jeffrey says in the Edinburgh Reviezv : " Of 
all the poetical battles which have been fought, from the days of Homer 
to those of Mr. Southe}-, there is none, in our opinion, at all comparable, 
for interest and animation, — for breadth of drawing and magnificence 
of effect, — with this of Mr. Scott's." 

747, 748. From the sharp, etc. This couplet is not in the MS. 
750. Vast. Misprinted "fast" in some eds. 

767-769. Oh I life and death, etc. These three lines are not in 
the MS. 

774. And first, etc. The MS. has " And first the broken ridge of 
spears." 

795. Badenoch-man. All the early eds. have " Highlandman." Lock- 
hart says that the new reading appears first in the author's interleaved 
copy of the ed. of 1830. Badenoch is the name given to a large dis- 
trict in the Highlands, to the northwest of Blair Athole. A mountain 
in the region is known as the Badenoch Boar, and another near it as 
the Athole Sow. 

800. Western. The MS. has " dauntless ; " and six lines below : 

" Fell stainless Tunstall's banner white, 
Sir Edmund's lion fell." 

Sir. Slogan. See on v. 73 above. 

822. Fiiz-Eustace, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Fitz-Eustace, you and Lady Clare 
May for its safety join in prayer." 



CANTO VI. 329 

To bid one*s beads is to utter a prayer for each bead. 
831. Like piJie-tree, etc. The MS. has " Like pine uprooted from the 
ground." 

S42. To tnark, etc. The MS. has " And cried," etc. 
849. The scatier^d van, tic. The MS. reads : 

" Repulsed, the band I r t-„„i „ j . ^ - „ 
The scatter'd wing } °^ England wheels.' 

863. Can that, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Can that be j gJ^J^ } Lord Marmion ! " 

867. Sped. Despatched, " done for." Cf. Romeo and jidiet, iii. i. 94, 
where Mercutio, after being stabbed by Tybalt, says, " I am sped." See 
also W\\\.ox\, Lycidas, 122: "What need they.? They are sped " (that 
is, provided for). 

872. When doffed, etc. The MS. has " And when he felt the fresher 
air." 

873. Can. See on iv. 456 above. 

880. Yet my last thought, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Yet my last thought 's for England — hie, 
To Dacre give my signet-ring. . . . 
Fitz-Eustace, to Lord Surrey fly." 

890. Scotland'' s. The MS. has " King James's." 

902-913. O wo??ian ! etc. The Critical Review, quoting these lines, 
remarks : " The hero of the piece, Marmion, who has been guilty of 
seducing a nun, and abandoning her to be buried alive, of forgery to 
ruin a friend, and of perfidy in endeavoring to seduce away from him 
the object of his tenderest affections, fights and dies gloriously, and is 
indebted to the injured Clara for the last drop of water to cool his 
dying thirst. This last act of disinterested attention extorts from the 
author the smoothest, sweetest, and tenderest lines in the whole poem. 
It is with pleasure that we extract numbers so harmonious from the 
discords by which they are surrounded." 

914. She stooped, etc. The MS. reads: 

" She stoop'd her by the runnel's tide, 

But in abhorrence soon withdrew. 
For, oozing from the mountains wide 
Where raged the war, a dark-red tide 

Was curdling in the streamlet blue. 
Wiiere shall she turn ! behold, she marks 

A little vaulted cell. 
Whose water, clear as diamond-sparks, 

In a rude basin fell. 
Above, some half-worn letters say, 

' Drink, passing pilgrim, drink, and pray.' " 

932. Shrieve. Shrive. Cf. i. 362 above. 

942. Alas'. . . . the while. See on i. 481 above. 

955. For wasting fire, etc The MS. reads : 



330 NOTES. 

" Fire, sacrilege, and dying groan, 
And priests gorged on the altar stone, 

Might bribe him for delay, 
And all by whom the deed was done 
Should with myself become his own. 

It may not be " — etc. 

Gorged is here apparently = having their throats cut ; a sense not found 
in the dictionaries. 

972. In the lost battle, etc. See on iii. 170 above. 

975. Avoid thee. Away with thee, begone. Cf. Shakespeare, C (?/".£". 
iv. 3. 48 : " Satan, avoid ! " 

977. Oh ! look, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Oh ! look, my son, upon this cross, 
Oh ! think upon the grace divine, 

On saints and heavenly bliss ! — 
By many a sinner's bed I 've been, 
And many a dismal parting seen, 

But never aught like this." 

987. And fired, etc. The MS. has "And sparkled in his eye." 

997. Vaward. See on 716 above. 

999. Oh ! for a blast, etc. The allusion is to the battle of Ronces- 
valles in the mountains of Navarre, where in 778 the rearguard of 
Charlemagne's army, under the command of his nephew Roland, was 
surprised and defeated by the Saracens and their allies. Roland had a 
magic horn by which he might have summoned Charlemagne to his aid, 
but he disdained using it until the battle became desperate ; and then 
his uncle was led to believe that it had been blown only in hunting the 
deer, and did not finally come to the rescue until Roland had died of 
his wounds. The Sojtg of Roland, which recounts his marvellous ex- 
ploits, was one of the inost popular heroic poems of the Middle Ages. 
Olivier, or Oliver, was another of Charlemagne's paladins, and no less 
renowned for his knightly achievements. The names of the pair have 
been perpetuated in the familiar proverb, " A Rowland for an Oliver." 
Fontarabian is from Fontarabia, a frontier town of Spain, not many miles 
from Roncesvalles. 

1012. In vain, etc. The MS. reads : 

" In vain the wish — for far they stray, 
And spoil and havoc mark'd their way. 
' O lady,' cried the monk, ' away ! ' " 

1018. Tilmoiith. Cf. ii. 270 (and note on ii. 257) above. 
1022. B'ut as they left, etc. The MS. has " But still upon the darken- 
ing heath." 

1031. Ply. The ist ed. has " deal." 

1033. The stubborn spearmen, etc. The MS. reads : 

" Ever the stubborn spears made good 
Their dark impenetrable wood ; 
Each Scot stepp'd where his comrade stood, 

The instant that he fell, 
Till the last ray of parting light, 
Then ceased perforce the dreadful fight. 

And sunk the battle's yell. 



CANTO VI. 331 

The skilful Surrey's sage commands 
Drew from the strife his shatter'd bands. 

Their loss his foemen knew ; 
Their King, their Lords, their mightiest low, 
They melted from tiie field as snow, 
When streams are swoln and south winds blow, 

Melts from the mountain blue. 
By various march their scatter'd bands, 
Disorder'd, gain'd the Scottish lands. — 
Day dawns on Flodden's dreary side, 
And show'd the scene of carnage wide : 
There, Scotland, lay thy bravest pride ! " 

For the figure in wood, cf. 1 154 below ; also Lady of the Lake, vi. 402 : 

" Their centre ranks, with pike and spear, 
A twilight forest frowned ; " 

and again in 443 : " The spearmen's twilight wood." 

1059. And raise the luiivcrsal wail. Jeffrey says of this part of the 
poem : " The powerful poetry of these passages can receive no illustra- 
tion from any praises or observations of ours. It is superior, in our 
apprehension, to all that this author has hitherto produced ; and, with 
a few faults of diction, equal to anything that has ever been written 
upon siniilar subjects. Fr<nn the moment the author gets in sight of 
Flodden field, indeed, to the end of the poem, there is no tame writing, 
and no intervention of ordinary passages. He does not once flag or 
grow tedious ; and neither stops to describe dresses and ceremonies, 
nor to commemorate the harsh names of feudal barons from the Korder. 
There is a flight of five or six hundred lines, in short, in which he never 
stoops his wing, nor wavers in his course : but carries the reader for- 
ward with a more rapid, sustained, and lofty movement, than any epic 
bard that we can at present remember." 

loSi. And fell oil Flodden plain. " There can be no doubt that King 
Tames fell in the battle of Flodden. He was killed, says the curious 
French Gazette, within a lance's length of the Earl of Surrey; and the 
same account adds, that none of his division were made prisoners, though 
many were killed ; a circumstance that testifies the desperation of their 
resistance. The Scottish historians record many of the idle reports 
which passed among the vulgar of their day. Home was accused, by 
the popular voice, not only of failing to suj^port the king, but even of 
having carried him out of the field, and murdered him. And this tale 
was revived in my remembrance, by an unauthenticated story of a 
skeleton, wrapped in a bull's hide, and surrounded with an iron chain, 
said to have been found in the well of Home Castle ; for which, on 
inquiry, I could never find any better authority, than the sexton of the 
parish having said, that, if the well zuere cleaned out, he would not be stir- 
frised at such a discovery. Home was the chamberlain of the king, and 
his prime favorite ; he had much to lose (in fact did lose all) in conse- 
quence of James's death, and nothing earthly to gain by that event : but 
the retreat, or inactivitv. of the left wing, which he commanded, after 
defeating Sir Edmund Howard, and even the circumstance of his return- 
ing unhurt, and loaded with spoil, from so fatal a conflict, rendered the 
propagation of any calumny against him easy and acceptable. Other 



332 NOTES. 

reports gave a still more romantic tm-n to the king's fate, and averred 
that James, weary of greatness after the carnage among his nobles, had 
gone on a pilgrimage, to merit absolution for the death of his father, 
and the breach of his oath of amit}^ to Henry. In particular, it was 
objected to the English, that they could never show the token of the 
iron belt ; which, however, he was likely enough to have laid aside on 
the day of battle, as encumbering his personal exertions. They produce 
a better evidence, the monarch's sword and dagger, which are still pre- 
served in the Herald's College in London. Stowe has recorded a 
degrading story of the disgrace with which the remains of the unfortu- 
nate monarch was treated in his time. An unhewn column marks the 
spot where James fell, still called the King's Stone " (Scott). 

1084. Bcseeined. See on iv. 149 above. 

1085. Yon blithe night. At Holyrood. See v. 171 fol. above. 

1090. Moated LichfielcVs lofty pile. The cathedral was moated 2L\.\}i\& 
time of the siege referred to in Scott's note below. The city had no 
walls; but Bishop Langton surrounded the close of the cathedral with 
a strong wall, and constructed two causewa5^s across the " pool " or 
marsh which lay between the close and the city. The houses in the 
close were pierced with loopholes ; the battlements of the cathedral 
were lined with musketeers ; and " drakes,^' or long guns, were mounted 
on the great central spire. 

1095. When fanatic Brook, etc. " This storm of Lichfield cathedral, 
which had been garrisoned on the part of the king, took place in the 
great civil war. Lord Brook, who, with Sir John Gill, commanded the 
assailants, was shot with a musket-ball through the visor of his helmict. 
The royalists remarked that he was killed by a shot fired from St. Chad's 
cathedral, and upon St. Chad's day, and received his death-wound in 
the very eye with which he had said he hoped to see the ruin of all the 
cathedrals in England. The magnificent church in question suffered 
cruelly upon this and other occasions; the principal spire being ruined 
by the fire of the besiegers" (Scott). 

1 100. Couchant. Reclining; an heraldic term. 

1 104. Blazed. Blazoned, set forth. 

mo. One of those flowers, etc. Neither Scott nor Lockhart has a 
note here ; but the reference is to a fragment of an old ballad on the 
Battle of Flodden, which a lady repeated to Sir Walter : 

" I ride single on my saddle, 
For the flowers of the forest are a' wede away." 

See Prof. Child's English and Scottish Ballads, vol. vii. p. 72. 
1 1 20. Marmion^s nameless gi'ave. See on iii. 170 above. ^ 
1 1 27. Springlet. Little spring ; a diminutive perhajDS coined by Scott 

himself. 

1 1 38. Commtme. Here accented on the first syllable. 

1 1 54. Wood. See on 1033 above. 

1 1 55. Holinshed or Hall. Raphael Holinshed, from whose Chronicles 
Shakespeare drew so much of the material for his English historical 
plays; and Edward Hall, a chronicler of the same period. 

1 1 59. Charged his old paternal shield, etc. That is, adorned it with 



CANTO VI. 2,-^1 

heraldic devices in honor of his achievements at Flodden. Charged 
and bearings are terms of heraldry. 

1 1 68. More. Sir Thomas More. Lord Sands and Sir Anthony 
Denny figure in Shakespeare's Henry VIII. 

1 169. The curtain. Of the bridal bed. 

1 170. Katherine. Queen Katherine. There are many allusions in 
old English literature io throzving the stocking -sx weddings. See several 
pages on the subject in Brand's Popular Antiquities. 

1 174. Love they, etc. That is, may they love, etc. 



L'ENVOY. 



3. Gentles. See on iii. 509 above. 

4. Rede. Here = story. It commonly means counsel, or advice ; as 
in Hamlet, i. 3. 51: " And recks not his own rede " (cares not for his 
own counsel); Spenser, F. Q. vi. 2. 30: "To whose wise read she 
hearkning," etc. 

5. Statesman. The reading of the early eds. Recent ones have 
" statesmen." 

16. To head of age. Recent eds. have "to the head of age." The 
ed. of 1821 reads : " And pillow to the head of age." 



ADDENDA. 

Hurl (i. ind. 257). Rush, whirl ; rare as an intransitive verb. 

Glistering [\\. 404). Glistening; common in Shakespeare and Milton, 
neither of whom uses glisten. 

Winded (iii. 3). See also Lady of the Lake, i. 500 and v. 52. Scott 
uses it also in prose ; as in the note on vi. 573 above. 

Viewed (iii. 59). Note the omission of to in the following infinitive mix. 

Though thou . . . and men (iv. ind. 17-20). There is an obvious 
allusion to the opening lines of the Odyssey. 

Gilbert Hay (iii. 508). The allusion is probably to Gilbert Hay (or 
de Have), Lord of Errol, who was created high constable of Scotland 
by Robert the PUuce in 131 5 ; but we can find no other reference to his 
bout with the Elfin Warrior. 

Grimly (iv. 440). Grim, hideous ; rare as an adjective. Ghast 
{=: ghastly) is also rare. 



INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES 
EXPLAINED. 



Abercromby, Sir Ralph, 

/73. 
adept, 320. 
adown, 321. 
a hall ! a hall! 306. 
ail, 308. 

alas the while! 255, 329. 
Alcides' wraith, 315 
all as, 249. 
Alne, the, 263. 
amain, 235, 320, 32S. 
angel (coin), 247, 254. 
antique (accent), 284, 306. 
appealing me, 310. 
Arcadia's golden creed, 2S4. 
Archibald Bell-the-Cat, 303. 
argent (heraldic), 2S6. 
Ariel, 2S5. 
Arminius, 272. 
as (= as if), 255, 262, 276, 

292, 308, 325. 
Ascapart, 243. 
Ascot, 298. 
Ashestiel, 230, 234. 
as ill befalls, 254. 
attributed (accent), 284. 
aventayle, 297. 
avoid thee, 330. 
azure (heraldic), 245, 286. 

Badenoch-man, 328. 
Baiilie, Joanna, 273. 
baldric, 301. 
Bamborough Castle, 263, 

bartizan, 321. 

Basil, 273. 

basnet, 326. 

Bass Rock, the, 310. 

Batavia, 273. 

bated of, 311. 

battled, 244, 263, 297, 308. 

beadsman, 322. 

bear a brain, 325. 

bearing (heraldic), 333. 

bear the ring away, 246. 



i be (= are), 252. 
Becket, 2S5. 

bell, book, and candle, 310. 
bell (of buck), 291. 
Bell-the-C.it, 303. 
bend (= bind) 275. 
bent (= slope), 260, 294, 328. 
Berwick-Law, 295, 310. 
beseemed, 287, 332. 
Bevis, 243, 2S5. 
bid one's beads, 329. 
bill (weapon), 246. 
Binram's corse, 261. 
Blackford Kill, 293. 
Blackhouse, 283. 
blazed (=. set forth), 332. 
blazoned (heraldic), 247. 
blood-gouts, 322. 
blood warmer than water, 

313- 
Bloody Heart, the, 321. 
Bluff, Noll, 314. 
P.lythe, the, 263. 
Boldre, 243. 
Border Minstrel, 237. 
Borough-moor, 294. 
Borthwick's Sisters Seven, 

294, 309- 
Bosworth Field, 245. 
Bothwell Castle, 304. 
Bourbon's relics, 298. 
bower (= chamber), 243,250, 

276, 295. 
Bowhill, 251^. 
bowl (= poison), 263. 
bowne, 293, 306. 
bowyer, 267. 
Braid Hills, 293. 
Brandenburg, 272. 
bratchet,259. 
brave (adverb), 247. 
bravely (= gayly), 326. 
brawn, 312. 

breathed his steed, 326. 
brigantines, 2i;9. 
broad (letter, etc.), 303. 



I brook (= control), 247, 322 
Brook, Lord, 332. 
Brunswick, 272. 
Brydone, Patrick, 325. 
buffet bide, 279. 
Bulmer, Brian, 203. 
bush (tavern-sign), 275. 
but (transposed), 268. 
buxom, 275, 2S5. 
by (= past), 2S4, 306. 
by my fay, 253. 
by this good light, 310. 
by yea and nay, 303. 

Caledonia's Queen, 296. 
Camp (a dog), 285. 
candle, bell, and book, 310. 
cap of maintenance, 287. 
career, for full, 279. 
carpet knight, 245. 
Carteihaugh, 259. 
carved to, 253. 
cast (= calculated), 292. 
Catherine's aisle, 292. 
Caxton, 286. 
cement (accent), 269 
Champion of the Lake, 238. 
Chapel Perilous, the, 239. 
charged (heraldic), 332. 
checks at, 245. 
cheer (= face), 300, 301. 
cheer thee, 310. 
Cheviot Hills, 244. 
chimes at midnight, hearing 

the, 314. 
chose (= chosen), 269. 
Christmas, mass at, 312. 
clerk (= scholar), 277, 2S0, 

307. 
clips (= clasps), 314. 
cloth-yard arrows, 298. 
cloth-yard shaft, 247. 
Cochran, Earl of Mar, 303, 

306. 
Colwulf, 268. 
combust, 270. 



Z2>^ INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



commune (accent), 332. 
composed (= smoothed), 

310. 
Coquet-Isle, 263. 
Cotswold, 325. 
Cottiswold, 249, 325. 
couch a spear, 250, 279. 
coucbant, 332. 
could (absolute), 293. 
crabs ( = apples), 253. 
cresset, 268. 
Crichtoun Castle, 288. 
Cross of Edinburgh, the, 

308. 
crowned it high, 250. 
Cuthbert, 254. 

Dame Ganore, 240. 
Danes (at Christmas), 311. 
darkling, 2S2, 296. 
dead-bell, the, 276. 
deas, 250. 

decline (= descend), 2S8. 
demi-volt, 296. 
De Montfort, 273. 
Denny, Sir Anthony, 333. 
despiteously, 306. 
De Worde, 286. 
dight, 246, 313. 
don (spelling), 310. 
donjon, 244. 

doom (= arbitration), 274. 
double tressure, 2S7. 
Douglas, Gawain, 323. 
dragon (= Napoleon), 272. 
drenched, 307. 
Dun-Edin, 293. 
Dunfermline's nave, 280. 
Dunstanborough, 263. 
Durham aisle, 252. 

ecstasy, 238. 
Edelfled, 265, 305. 
Edward I., 279. 
Ellis, George, 296, 
emprise, 235. 
Enchantress, the, 273. 
enow, 252, 288. 
Erskine, William, 271. 
Etal],3ii. 

Ettrick Forest, 257, 296. 
Eusedale, 300. 
exclaim on, 310. 

Falkland-woods, 296. 
fay (= faith), 253. 
featly, 322. 
feeble (adverb), 234. 
Flower of Yarrow, 260. 
following (noun), 300. 
Fontarabian, 330. 
Fontevraud, 269. 
fool, the licensed, 301, 



for (= because), 2S8, 298, 

321. 
Forbes (dissyllable), 2S4, 

309- 
Forbes, Sir William, 2S4, 2S5. 
Ford Castle, 250, 311. 
Fordun, John de, 321. 
Forest Sheriff, 259. 
forth of, 310. 
fosse, 251. 
foul fall him, 323. 
Franchemont, 320. 
frequent (adverb), 234, 284. 
fretted, 321. 
Friar Rush, 286. 

Gadite, 235. 
galliard, 303. 
gan,293, 329. 
Ganore, 240. 
Garry, Loch, 273. 
gave you, 278 
gazehound, 259. 
gentles, 282, 333. 
ghast, 333. 

Giant's Grave, the, 261. 
Gifford, 275. 
Gifford Castle, 277. 
gilded spurs, 246, 328. 
glanced (= flashed), 247. 
Glenkinnon's rill, 234. 
Glenmore, 280, 293. 
glistering, 333. 
Goblin-Hall, the, 277. 
goodly (adverb), 251. 
good my lord, 292. 
good sooth, 325. 
gorged, 3 so- 
Gothic (= rude), 238. 
gramercy, 254, 279, 286. 
grandame's child, a, 274. 
Gray Mare's Tail, the, 261. 
green-garbed, 312. 
Greenlaw, 252. 
grimly (adjective), 333. 
gripple, 321. 
grisly, 269, 279. 
gules, 286. 

Haco, 278. 

Hafnia, 235. 

hagbut, 259, 300. 

halbert, 246. 

hale (= haul), 263. 

Hal!, Edward, 332. 

hanger (= sword), 320. 

hap what hap, 326. 

Hardriding Dick, 250. 

harquebuss, 259. 

harried, 252. 

haughty (= lofty), 325. 

Hay, Gilbert, 333. 

hearse, 237, 272. 

heaven (= weather), 235. 



Heber, Richard, 311. 
Hebrides, 294. 
height (rhyme), 295. 
Flepburn, Earl Adam, 287. 
Hermit of Warkworlh, the, 

27I._ 

Hermitage Castle, 304 

high tide, 313. 

him listed ease, 247. 

hoarse (adverb), 234. 

Holinshed, 332. 

holt, 259. 

Holy Island, 262. 

Holy-Rood, 253, 254. 

Horncliff-hill, 244. 

horse-courser, 325. 

hosen, 247. 

Hugh the Heron, 249. 

Humbie, 286. 

hurl (intransitive), 333. 

idly busied, 283. 

imps (= children), 235. 

in bower, 243. 

in hall, 243. 

inn, the village, 275. 

in place, 255. 

in presence, 255. 

in rest (of spear), 250, 293. 

lol, 311- 

iron belt (James's), 301, 332. 

Isis, the, 262. 

Janet and the elves, 259. 
jerkin, 247. 
Judith, 310. 

Katherine, Queen, 333. 
keys of Ri)me, the, 286. 
king-at-arms, 286. 
kirn, 284. 
kirtle, 300. 
knosp, 297. 

lack (= want), 252. 
Lambie isle, 310. 
Lammermoor, 275. 
lantern-led, 2S6. 
largesse, 249. 
Largs, 279. 
Latian, 314. 
Lauderdale, 252. 
laverock, 285. 
leaguer, 321. 
leash, 251, 259. 
Leat's eddies, 326. 
Lennel's convent, 325. 
let pass, 255. 
let slip (a hound), 251. 
levin, 23s, 254. 
Leyden, Dr. John, 315. 
Lichfield Cathedral, 332. 
Liddell, the, 300, 304. 
Liddisdale, 304. 



INDEX OF WORDS AXD PHRASES EXPLAINED. 337 



like ( impersonal), 324. 
Limbo, 315. 

Lindesay, Sir David, 287. 
Lindisfanie, 251, 262. 
lines rhyme), 326. 
Linlitligow, 291. 
linn, 234, 261. 
linstock, 247. 
lion-metlled, 242. 
list (impersonal), 247. 
Liihgow's bower, 302. 
livin<;s, 305. 
Ldchaber, 273. 
Loch Garry, 273. 
Lochinvar, 303. 
Loch-skene, 261. 
Loch Vennachar, 277. 
lociiins Bos^ 315. 
Lodon. 2(}4. 
lonj;-eared cap, 301. 
lordlings, 249. 
Loretto, 255. 

Maclcenzie, Colin, 285. 

Mad Tom, 285. 

make (= do), 322. 

malison, 30S. 

Malvoisie, 245. 

mankind (accent), 269. 

Marriot, Rev. John, 256. 

Martin, Rev. John, 274. 

mass, a hasty, 256. 

mass at Christmas, 312. 

Maudlin, 300. 

may-flower, 2S5. 

me (= I), 310. 

meanest flower that blows, 

235- 
Merse, or March, the, 275. 
Mertoun House, 311. 
mettle, 242. 
mettled (spelling), 273. 
Milan steel, 245. 
Millfield Plain, 311. 
mimosa's tender tree, 2S5. 
mistook (= mistaken), 293. 
Monk-Wearmouth, 263. 
Montserrat, 254. 
More, Sir Thomas, 333. 
morion, 247. 
morricepike, 247. 
mortal lists, 270. 
motley vest, 301. 
musing (= wondering), 300. 

nailed her colors to the mast, 

236. 
Needpath-fell, 234. 
Newark Castle, 259. 
Norham Castle, 243. 
Norweyan, 278. 

oaken settle, 275. 
oaten reed, 284. 



Oberon, 259. 

Ochil mountains, 295. 

Odin, 312. 

offices (= duties), 292. 

Olivier, 330. 

or (heraldic), 286. 

Otterburne, 322. 

Our Lady's Chapel, 260. 

Palinure, 236. 

palmer, 253, 255. 

pardoner, 252. 

part (= depart), 244, 271, 

306, 310, 323, 328. 
pass the wit, 280. 
passed (= went away), 310. 
passing (adverb), 246. 
patience perforce, 310. 
pentacle, 2 78. 
pied, 300. 

pipes (= bagpipes), 300. 
Pitscottie, 320. 
plaid (pronunciation), 283, 

293, 300. 
plain (= complain), 276, 323. 
plight (= plighted), 270. 
plump (noun), 244. 
pointed aisle, etc., 263. 
point of war, 286. 
Polydore, 315. 
post and pair, 312. 
practised on, 277. 
prentice cap, 326. 
pretence (heraldic, 2S9. 
prick (= spur), 242, 252, 282. 
pricker, 300, 306. 
prime (noun), 296. 
princely bower, 300, 305. 
proof to, 296. 
pursuivant, 247, 286. 

quaighs, 282. 

quaint, 307. 

quarry (= game), 259. 

Raby-towers, 250. 
rack (= cloud), 283. 
racking, 279. 
Rae, .Sir William, 285. 
recreant, 307. 
Red-cross hero, the, 272. 
rede (= storv), 333. 
Red Earl Gilbert, 323. 
Red King, that, 243. 
Redswire, 294. 
reed (= pipe), 274, 284. 
resolve (= analyze), 236. 
retrograde, 279. 
reversed escutcheon, 249. 
right (= true), 301. 
Robert de Marmion, 310. 
rochet, 323. 
Roland, 330. 
Roncesvalles, 330. 



Rose, William Stewart, 234. 
Rosse's rocky ledge, 294. 
Rothiemurcus, 293. 
rovers ( = Danes), 263. 
rowan, 259. 
ruth (= pity), 268, 285. 

sable (heraldic), 245. 

Saint Anton', 310. ' 

Saint Bede, 253, 254. 

Saint Rothan, 252, 324. 

Saint Bride, 324. 

Saint Catherine, 296. 

Saint Cuthbert, 254, 266. 

Saint Cuthbert's Beads, 267. 

Saint Fillan, 256. 

Saint (Jeorge's banner, 244. 

Saint George to speed I 279. 

Saint (iiles's, 293. 

Saint Hilda, 321. 

Saint James's cockle-shell, 

254. 
Sauit Jude to speed! 324. 
Saint Mary's Lake, 260. 
Saint Rocque, 296. 
Saint Rosalie, 254. 
Saint Rule, 255. 
Saint Thomas, 254, 285. 
Saint Valentine, 276. 
Saint Withold, 308. 
Salem, 254. 
salt, above and below the, 

312. 
Saltoun, 286. 
salvo-shot, 245. 
Sands, Lord, 333. 
Sandy Ormiston, 274. 
Sangreal, 240. 
scalds, 312. 
scarlet ranks, 274. 
scaur, 303. 

scheme (transitive \ 308. 
Scott, Robert, 274. 
scroll (= letters), 307. 
sea-dog (= seal), 262. 
Seaton-Delaval, 2(^1. 
seemed (= beseemed), 272. 
selle, 282. 
seneschal, 245. 
settle, oaken, 275. 
sewer, 244. 
sheen (adjective), 301, 312, 

323- 
Shoreswood, the priest of, 

252. 
shrieve, 253, 329. 
shrilling, 238. 
Skene, James, 283. 
sleights, 274. 
slogan, 300, 328. 
slough, 322. 
Smailholm Tower, 274. 
soland, 275. 
Solway, the, 303. 



33^ nXDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



sooth (= truth), 250, 325. 

soothly, 279. 

sooth to tell, 250, 255, 302. 

sped, 329. 

speed (= fare), 2 82. 

spell (= make out), 325. 

Spenser's eltin dream, 241. 

Spirit's Blasted Tree, the, 

315- 
spnnglet, 332. 
squire (= dog), 285. 
stalworth, 245. 
Stanrig-moor, 324. 
stared (of the hair), 271. 
steely, 238. 
steepy, 234, 321. 
still (= ever), 254, 269. 
stirrup-cup, 256. 
stoled, 312. 

store (= stored up), 275. 
storied pane, 298. 
stowre, 296. 

strength (= stronghold), 274. 
strook, 277, 293. 
studded gate, 297, 311. 
style (= name), 309. 
substantial (quadrisyllable), 

256. 
Swart, Martin, 307. 
swore (= sworn), 253. 

tabard, 247. 

tables (= backgammon), 

253- 
Tame, the, 307. 
Tantallon Castle, 305. 
Terouenne, 321. 
Thessalian cave, 237. 
thou 'dst best, 326. 
throwing the stocking, 333. 
thunder-dint, 254. 
tide what tide, 279 



Tilmouth, 266, 330. 
timeless, 274. 
Tirante the White, 284. 
to (omitted), 310, 333. 
lore (= torn), 253, 255. 
tottered (= ragged), 289. 
touch my charter, 335. 
trained (= tempted), 293. 
traverse (intransitive), 325 
tressure, 287. 
trews, 300. 
trine, 279. 
trips it, 238. 
trow, 251, 286. 
Tunstall, Brian, 32S. 
'twere long to tell, 293, 308. 
Twisel glen, 323. 
Twisel Bridge, 325. 
Tynemouth, 263, 268. 

unconfessed, 241, 
unsparred, 245. 

vade hi pace in, 270. 
vail (r= lower), 277, 297, 325. 
vantage-coign, 321. 
vaward, 32S, 330. 
Vennachar, Loch, 277. 
voyage (dissyllable), 262. 

Wallace wight, 260, 282. 

wan (= won), 275. 

Wansbeck, the, 263. 

Warbeck, 251. 

Wark, 311. 

Warkworth Castle, 263, 271. 

warped {= frozen), 273. 

warps (= gives bias to), 273. 

waste ( = idle away), 238. 

wassail-bowl, 250. 

wede away, 332. 

weeds (= garments), 238, 300. 



weight (rhyme), 295. 

what ail'st'thou ? 308. 

what time, 251, 297. 

wheel (verb), 300. 

whenas, 255. 

which (omitted), 310. 

whilere, 298. 

whiles, 250. 

whilom, 289. 

whin, 293. 

Whitby Abbey, 262. 

who (omitted), 301. 

Widderington Castle, 263. 

wight (adjective), 260, 27^, 

282, 326. 
wight (rhyme), 292. 
vvildered,"23S. 
wimple, 302. 
winded (= wound), 333. 
Windsor's oaks, 298. 
Wizard's Grave, the, 261. 
wizard habit, 278. 
Woden, 312. 
woe were we, 253. 
wold, 292. 
Wolsey, 308. 
wood (spearmen's), 331. 
Wooler, 311. 
wont (past tense), 271, 292, 

307, 323,325- 
wore ( = worn ), 268. 
wot, 311. 
wraith, 315. 
wrote (= written), 255. 

Yair, 234, 260. 

yare, 247. 

yea and nay, by, 303. 
j Yester Castle, 277. 
j Yester House, 275. 
] yode, 282. 
! Ytene's oaks, 243. 




T">^ 



?T'"N- : 






Rolfe's Students' Series. 



This series of standard English poems is intended 
both for school use and for the private student. It is 
prepared on the same general plan as Mr. Rolfe's well- 
known edition of Shakespeare, and now includes the 
following volumes : — 

I. SCOTT'S THE LADY OF THE LAKE. — An 

account of this book will be found on the following pages ; and the 
hints to teachers there given will apply, with certain obvious modi- 
fications, to the other volumes of the series. 

II. SCOTT'S MARMION. — As Mr. Rolfe explains in his 
Preface, this popular poem has never been correctly printed until now ; 
and, much as it has been read in schools, this is the first thoroughly 
annotated edition that has been published. Scott's own Notes, though 
bulky, are comparatively few in number; and Lockhart's add little to 
them except his interesting transcript of MS. variations from the 
printed text. Mr. Rolfe is the first to supply explanations of many 
allusions which would puzzle young readers, if not their elders also ; 
and he adds much other valuable comment and criticism. 

III. TENNYSON'S THE PRINCESS. — No modern 
poem needs annotation more than this, on account of its numerous 
recondite allusions and the extensive alterations the author has made 
from time to time in the text. Mr. Rolfe clears up all obscurities, 
and records all the textual variations of the successive editions, be- 
sides giving long extracts from the most important reviews and 
criticisms of the poem. 



ROLFE'S STUDENTS' SERIES. 

IV. SELECT POEMS OF TENNYSON. — This volume 
contains seventeen of the Laureate's minor poems (including The 
Lady of Shaloit, The Miller's Daughter, CEnone, The Lotos- 
Eaters, The Palace of Art, A Dream of Fair Women, Morte 
d'Arthur, The Talking Oak, Locksley Hall, The Tw^o Voices, 
The Brook, and the Wellington Ode), with copious explanatory 
and critical notes. In the second revised edition (which has been 
augmented by eighteen pages of " Addenda ") all the changes made 
in the poems since their first appearance in print are given, with other 
curious information concerning them. The greater part of this matter 
has never been published before, and the earlier forms of the poems 
that appeared in Tennyson's volumes of 1830 and 1832 (1833) are 
almost unknown both in England and in this country, on account of 
the extreme rarity of those editions. Mr. Rolfe could not get access 
to copies while preparing his first edition, but afterwards had the 
opportunity of consulting them in the British Museum. These addi- 
tions to the Select Poems cannot fail to be of exceeding interest to 
every student and critic of Tennyson. 

V. THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S TENNYSON. — This 
volume is made up of poems suited to a younger class of readers 
and students than those for whom the Select Poems is designed. 
It includes, among other pieces: The May Queen, Dora, Godiva, 
The Day-Dream, Lady Clare, The Captain, The Voyage, 
The Revenge, The Defence of Lucknow, The Voyage of 
Maeldune, The Charge of the Light Brigade, etc. The 
Notes are adapted to the capacity of young people, and include a 
good deal of elementary instruction in the elements of rhetoric and 
criticism. 

Other volumes of the Series are in preparation. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE 




In a school edition of an Eng- 
lish classic, as 1 said in the preface 
to the Merchant of Venice thirteen 
years ago, the requisites are "a 
pure text and the notes needed for 
its thorough elucidation and illus- 
tration." 

So far as the text is concerned, 
it might be expected that all an 
editor could liavc to do, in the 
case of a recent author like Scott, 
would be to follow a ''standard" 
edition like Lockhart's ; but, as I 
have explained in my preface, a 
careful collation of the best edi- 
tions has proved that no two of them agree exactly in their read- 
ings, and that all of them nre more or less corrupt. The errors, 
moreovei-, are often of a serious nature, marring or spoiling the 
sense, and otherwise doing the poet gross wrong. It ma\' be fairly 
claimed that in the present edition the text is correctly printed 
for the first time in half a century at least. If in any case there 
may be a question as to the reading I have adopted, the teacher 
or student can select another from the notes, where all the '' various 
readings" are recorded. 

In the Notes, as in my edition of Shakespeare. I have preferred 
to err, if at all. on the side of fulness. Notes should never 
furnish what the student may reasonably be required to find nut 



Sir \' 



for himself. So long as they give hiin new work to do, instead of 
doing his work for him, there had better be too many of them than 
too few. The teacher will know how much of the possible labor 
it is expedient to exact. 

Scott's own notes I have generally given in full. A few of the 
longest have been somewhat abridged, mainly in the illustrative 
quotations, some of wiiich are of no special interest except to the 
critic or the antiquarian. That these omitted portions are little 
read, even b^' critics, is evident from the fact (noted in my 
preface) that the dropping out of a whole page, through the care- 
lessness of a printer, whereby the halves of two disconnected 
sentences are fused into one unintelligible sentence, has passed 
undetected — or at least uncorrected — in all the reprints of 
Lockhart's edition for fifty years. 

A few suggestions to teachers concerning the use of the Notes 
may not be out of place. I do not assume that they will be 
needed by all teachers, but they may be of service to some. 

In the first place, the notes are not intended to be assigned in 
hulk as lessons. They are to be used for reference as needed, not 
to be committed to memory. The jjoetnj is the lesson, the notes 
are merely aids in studying it. To what extent they are to be 
used will depend upon the method of study. 

Again, some of the notes are simply hints to the teacher, which 
he can follow out at his discretion. I will illustrate my meaning 
by a few examples from the first pages. 

On page 181 (note on 32) I refer to the fact that a figure is 
pecuharly " appropriate," or in keeping with the scene and the 
subject. It would be easy to multiply notes of this kind, but to 
do so would defeat my purpose. I do not believe in " sign-post" 
criticism of this kind. The teacher should see that his pupils 
find similar instances for themselves, giving them help only in a 
Socratic way, and no further than may be necessary to train them 
to the exercise of their own taste and judgment. 



On page 182, the notes on 88 and 54, calling attention to the 
rhetorical force of inversions (the teaclier should read Herbert 
Spencer's essay on '' The Philosophy of Style," if he is not already 
familiar with it), those on 4(1 and -sO. referring to words not 
admissible in prose, and those on GG and G!>, pointing out poetical 
or metaphorical uses of words, illustrate classes of comments 
which the pupil may be led to make for himself to whatever extent 
the teacher pleases. 

If the pupil has not learned the elementary facts about figurative 
language, let him learn them, not Irom a sch<5ol text-book of 
•• rhetoric," hut fro )n tJie poem^ and by finding and analyzing them 
for himself, rather than by having them i)ointed out and explained to 
him : and the same may be said of the '^ properties of style," and 
of •• rhetoric" in general, so ftir as it has to do with poetry. In m\- 
own experience, I have found this the most satisfactory, if not 
the only really satisfactory, way of teaching these things to young 
students. The average schoolboy or schoolgirl can 1)0 led, by 
judicious questioning, to deduce all this "rhetoric" from the lirst 
two or three pages of the Lady of the Lake in a few hours. Almost 
no direct instruction is needed. The technical terms of the text- 
book should be very sparingly introduced. Only such as have ceased 
to be exclusively technical, and ought to be understood by every 
well-informed person {metaphor, simile, personification, and the 
like) should be employed. The mere pointing out of instances of 
the figures (saying "This is a metaphor," or " That is a simile," 
etc.), without regard to the aptness, or beauty, or other note- 
worthy fact concerning them, is "flat, stale, and unprofitable" 
work, after the [)U[)il has once learned to recognize and name the 
figures. In some schools this is the chief thing done in the so- 
called " study " of poetry, but it is about as useless as " parsing," 
than which no exercise can be more useless. 

I might go on with illustrations of what would be my own way 
of using notes and following out their suggestions, but theso 



T\ill suffice to give the teacher an inkling of the method. Of course 
the material furnished can l)e used in many other waj'S, and the 
teacher may have one of his own that is better — at least for 
him — than mine would be. 

Notes on points of grammar and on the derivation of words I have 
avoided, except where they bear upon the interpretation of the 
passage. 

The quotations from Shakespeare and his contemporaries, ilhis- 
Irating Scott's free use of Elizabethan words and constructions, 
vn ill interest th^ general reader and the teacher ; but the latter 
must decide for himself how far he will make use of them in school 
work. In my own experience I have found that the majority of 
pupils old enough to read a poem like this soon become interested 
in the glimpses of the history of their vernacular, which they get 
from the poet's archaic phraseology, and such ' • parallelisms " as I 
cite in m}^ notes. 

To the metre of the poem I have devoted but few notes, and 
personally I should not give much time to the subject in school. 
The most that I should attempt would be to make the pupil under- 
stand the regular form of the measure (iambic, trochaic, or what- 
ever it ma}' be, laying no stress on the names except for the fact 
that some of them are terms which every intelligent person should 
understand), and some of the musical variations from the regular 
form (see page 182, note on 72) ; and this mainly to show that 
metre is not the monotonous up-and-down singsong that 3'oung 
[)eople are apt to imagine. 

I may add that the teacher can use the MS. readings, and the 
misreadings of the common editions, as exercises for the taste and 
critical judgment of his pupils. The}' should be able to see, and 
to make others see, why one reading is better or worse than 
another. It would be a dull boy or girl that could not see, for 
instance, that clift in i. 217 must be right, and c///f wrong ; or 



that heart lor heat in ii. 085 is nonsense, though the corruptions 
have passed unchallenged for half a centur}- or more. 

My edition of Shakespeare, of which I at first expected to 
prepare onl}' five or six plays for school use, has been completed 
because it proved to be acceptable to readers in general ; and an 
edition of any poet, which is really adapted to the man}' and varied 
demands of the school-room, should, it seems to me, be equally 
suited to the wants of the great majority of readers, — all, indeed, 
except the most critical and exacting. 

For the home study of the poem — a kind of social enjoyment 

that ought to be more common — some of the hints given above 

will be no less suggestive than for school work. 

W. J. R. 




[NCHMAHONE ISLAND, LAKE MENTEITH. 



LB '3Q 



